Hacienda Rioalambi Ecofarm in Ecuador
By David Nilsen
Last summer we spent 10 days in Ecuador, and while most of our time was in Quito (we love taking our time exploring cities), we took an overnight trip to Maquipucuna Reserve & Ecolodge at the advice of our friend Leila Carvajal Erker of Cocoa Supply. Maquipucuna is a beautiful 6,000 hectare reserve in the cloud forest of the Pichincha region, owned and managed by married couple Rodrigo Ontaneda and Rebeca Justicia. Rodrigo and Rebeca were kind enough to arrange a tour of a local cacao farm for us as well, so as soon as we left our things in our cabin over the river, we headed out again for Hacienda Rioalambi Ecofarms, a cacao farm and ecoforest preserve.
Hacienda Rioalambi is a 300 hectare plot that is 40% cacao and 60% ecoforest. Owned and operated by the Vergara family, the beautiful property is nestled into a valley, rimmed by verdant hills that often disappear into the low clouds above. Francisco Vergara and his wife Lorena Caicedo and their children run the farm along with Francisco’s brother Santiago; they welcomed us through the gates of the farm and spent several hours showing us around.
The family generously laid out a light lunch to enjoy as we talked, with various members of the group translating for others (my Spanish is weak and something I want to work on), while the farm dogs circled the table, including a pitbull named Vladimir Putin because someone decided there was a resemblance. After lunch, we continued touring the farm, hiking up the hill at the back of the property to look out over the entire spread.
As we walked back down the hill, Francisco and Lorena’s teenage son and I (I cannot, for the life of me, find his name in my notes) utilized my poor Spanish and his slightly better English to discuss managing pests and diseases on the farm; it’s amazing how much can be communicated between two enthusiastic participants, even across a language barrier.
Back at the farm, Francisco split open a few pods and we tasted the mucilage and juice straight from the pods. Notes of mango and banana, with a bright tartness. Tasting a few R&D bars made with their beans after was a eye-opening.
We were and are so grateful to Francisco and Lorena and their kids, to Rodrigo and Rebeca for arranging the tour, and to Leila for the recommendation. Hopefully we can make it back to this gorgeous corner of the world at some point.
