1a Arashi, Abel Salinas Pacheco - Ecuador 2021

I am the fifth of 11 siblings, I am 56 years old, I have 4 children and 2 grandchildren. My parents were always farmers, that's where I inherited my love for the land. I always saw my parents sacrifice a lot for us, walking on dusty trails in the summer and a lot of mud in the winter, growing our own crops to eat and selling surpluses at the nearby market to get small cash and medicine. As a child I saw many difficulties, but we were always united and I have carried that until now. My parents were not coffee growers, my love for coffee has been born since I sowed, as an adult, my first coffee plant on my own Aracshi field; watch it grow, the little flowers, the seeds, the cherries come out, then dry it and drink it at home with my family; From there I am in love and proud to be a coffee grower; now coffee is my life. To have reached the First place in this 2021 Ecuador Cup of Excellence contest, is for me a source of immense joy, but at the same time, a very great responsibility. This recognition is historical, because it is the First Prize, within this category, which is awarded in Ecuador and Loja has won it, my beloved town “Saraguro” has won it.