Favio Legarda grew up watching his family work the land in Loreto, Orellana. He also witnessed what happened after each harvest: farmers delivered their coffee without knowing its price and without participating in what came next.
After graduating from Universidad San Francisco de Quito, he returned. Not to leave farming behind, but to transform it from within.
Favio Legarda, fundador de Witoca.
En 2018, junto a Andrea López, fundó Witoca: una organización con 15 socios, mitad kichwas amazónicos, mitad mestizos, convencidos de que el café de la Amazonía merecía algo más que precios de commodity. Bajo el sistema ancestral de la chakra, las familias cultivan sin destruir: el bosque se regenera, el suelo respira, y los cultivos tradicionales conviven con las matas de café robusta. Sin monocultivos, sin pesticidas.
Andrea López, fundadora de Witoca.
Their flagship products — fine Robusta honey and fine Robusta anaerobic coffee — are the result of this care that involves specialized fermentation and drying processes that transform an Amazonian bean into an export-quality coffee with a distinctive character.
Cuando ALIADOS llegó en 2023, Witoca ya exportaba a Alemania. El acompañamiento, la capacitación y el capital de trabajo ayudaron a cerrar las brechas que quedaban. Esto les permitió sostener los ciclos productivos, afinar los procesos de beneficio y llegar a nuevas ferias y mercados.
Today, WITOKA has received three Taza Dorada awards and exports to Germany, the United States, Luxembourg, and Italy. More than bringing Amazonian coffee to the world, Favio and Andrea are demonstrating that it is possible to build value sustainably, create opportunities, and grow a business without leaving behind the forest that makes it possible.
