Producer: Asociación de Cafetaleros de Santa Cruz
Farm: Roberto Jose Vasconez Merino
Region: Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos
Altitude: 200-450 masl | 656-1,476 feet
Varietal: Typica, Caturra, Bourbon
Process: Washed
Roast: Light
Notes: Toasted Hazelnut, Caramel Cookie, Mandarin

This limited offering is a special single-farmer lot from a member of Asociación de Cafetaleros de Santa Cruz, comprised of 100 smallholders farming on Isla Santa Cruz in the Galápagos archipelago.

Roberto Jose Vasconez Merino grows Typica, Caturra, and Bourbon among Cedrela, Guabos, and other native shade trees. It is traditionally washed and fermented for 14-18 hours before being sun-dried in parabolic covered patios and on African raised beds.

The Galápagos Islands are a beautiful archipelago of volcanic islands located in the Pacific Ocean, 906km from continental Ecuador. The Galápagos are famous for inspiring Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, due to the vast number of unique species that he found there during his voyage in 1836—including the famous 100-year-old giant tortoises.

Galápagos is not only home to birds, sea lions, iguanas, dolphins, and gulls, but also to the exotic coffee of La Tortuga. Ecologically-minded coffee farmers on the islands have founded co-ops to support and protect the local coffee industry while also conserving the natural environment. Given the importance of the flora and fauna, Ecuador's government places very strict controls on agriculture, and coffee is predominantly farmed according to organic practices.

Beginning on #GivingTuesday, we are donating a portion of the proceeds from every bag sold of La Tortuga AAA to the Galápagos Conservancy, which is "dedicated exclusively to the long-term protection and restoration of the Galápagos Islands and its brilliant mosaic of life, including more than 2,000 species found nowhere else on Earth."

Donations will be made as follows until we sell out of the coffee:

• $2 per 4oz pouch
• $3 per 8oz pouch
• $4 per 12oz bag

More about the Galápagos Conservancy: "As a leader in direct on-the-ground conservation action we work with partners, including the Galápagos National Park Directorate, to save imperiled species, build a more sustainable society, and rewild the complex ecosystems of the Archipelago. Collectively, our members represent the largest source of private funding for conservation in the Islands."