The Bio Arabica co-op represents something of a youth movement in Bolivian specialty coffee, in that the average age of the 45 producers who make up the group is only 30 years old, and the cooperative itself was only founded in 2017. The smallholder farmers who contributed to this lot grow on an average of 4 hectares apiece. The group has been working to improve production quality and volume since 2014, while maintaining sustainable practices with a particular focus on planting shade trees, which are also used for timber, bananas, and citrus.
While production can be traced back to the 1920s, Bolivian coffee is not as widely known as others in the South American region. As a land-locked country, Bolivia has faced many challenges when it came to exporting its coffee. Its underdeveloped infrastructure meant that transporting coffee from the mountainous terrain around the capital city of La Paz to the seaports in Chile or Peru can be difficult, but Bolivia is an “emerging” specialty origin that roasters should an keep an eye on.
Growing Coffee in Bolivia
Approximately 95% of Bolivia’s coffee is grown in the Yungas, a region on the eastern slopes of the Andes known for its ideal coffee-growing climate that includes high elevation and consistent wet/dry seasons. Other coffee-producing districts in Bolivia include Caupalicam, Espiritu Santo, and Valle Grande. Most Bolivian coffee is grown approximately 2,600–7,500 feet above sea level, is virtually all washed coffee, and growers are typically smallholders and cooperatives. The types of coffee plants that are found in Bolivia include Typica, Caturra, and Catuai species.
