bolivia

Caranavi

Bolivia combines an ideal environment for producing exceptional coffee with extreme geography in remote mountain villages that creates a frustrating challenge. The department of La Paz in western Bolivia meets the Puno region of Southern Peru and produces close to 90% of the entire country’s coffee production. Densely forested and nestled in the Andean Mountains, Caranavi is in a rainy and humid valley with nutrient-rich soil at high elevations that create unique micro-climates with hot summer days and cool nights. These wonderful places are hard to access due to not only the landscape, but the lack of developed infrastructure for transporting coffee, low labour availability, and the disorganization of larger cooperatives make it nearly impossible for higher quality coffee to find the specialty market. The overall annual volume of coffee produced in Bolivia is a mere 40,000 bags and to give perspective, neighboring Peru produces 4 million a year. The availability of delicious coffee from Bolivia has been scarce for the past decade, so this is a very special treat for 2024.

Historically, the coffee producers of the valley are descendants of the Aymara indigenous culture, which also are present in Puno, Peru where extended families often include members on both sides of the border. The Aymara people have a commitment to their land and culture with a respect for their coexistence for the health of life itself, in it’s many forms. Bolivian coffee is intrinsically special and having premiums go to the same indigenous communities that once were subjected to colonial servitude and debt bondage, being forced to cultivate coffee, is a great form of justice. This all began with the Bolivian National Revolution of 1952, when the government initiated agricultural reform that enabled the indigenous to take ownership of land and the Aymara settled the Caranavi Province. From there, the indigenous coffee producers have started organizing co-ops and other support systems to strengthen their position at the negotiating table to be rewarded for the quality they’ve produce.

Today, in Caranavi, these farmers are producing spectacular coffees. A majority of what’s planted is a mix of Typica, Catuai, and Caturra, while some farmers are expanding into varieties like Java, Ethiosar, and Gesha. There’s is a combination of exceptional washed coffees with successful experiments with various anaerobic natural processes producing distinct and articulate profiles. Producers already know the economic benefits of the separation of quality into individual micro lots, and have an understanding that doing so requires a greater investment in materials, equipment, and labour. The challenges are known, poor but improving infrastructure to aide the transportation within the landlocked country, a changing climate that brings conditions for issues for cultivation, and the ever challenging socio-political landscape that rivals the Cordillera Real.

You have the chance to explore three villages around Caranavi that are producing great washed Typica and Catuai blends; Taypiplaya, Copacabana, and Illimani.

Taypiplaya

1400 masl

Taypiplaya has the largest population of the three villages, with 2,000 people, making this seem more like a small town than the others. It is southeast of the town of Caranavi, on the Taypiplaya river, making it rather easily accessible. Meaning “Tiger’s Corner” in Quechua, jaguars are known to inhabit the area around the waterfall called Rincon del Tigre just outside the community center. There is a community effort to create municipal protected areas to promote sustainable use of natural resources, conserving the biodiversity of the forests and waterways, while avoiding activities that would negatively affect the area, such as mining or the high chemical use in coca production. The town center of Taypiplaya sits at 1,000 masl, being flanked by mountains that reach up to 2,500 masl with coffee growing along the steep slopes. This coffee gracefully moves with a sense of elegance. Tart orange and red wine poached pear provide a soft sweetness that quickly crystalizes into a toffee. Seductively smooth with a pleasant snap, we are lead towards brown sugar buckwheat cookies with the soothing guidance of belgium chocolate. Quite spectacular and worth conserving.

Copacabana

1550 masl

Copacabana is the most rural of the three villages and can only loosely be considered that. It seems more like a meandering series of 35 families that cluster down a mountain ridge. Sitting in the mountains just north of the town of Caranavi by 30 miles, you understand the indigenous meaning of “Peaceful Place with a Good View”. These are pretty small farms of just 1 to 5 hectares each, so most of the requirements of the farm and harvesting is carried out by family members. The settlement of Copacabana brings a sense of community where you often find a collaborative approach when neighboring farmers are in need of help. This support system has paid off well and the coffee is rich and delicious. There is a spiced element to a densely weighted chocolate that keeps you grounded as subtle blackberry and cherry try to surface through a pool of cream. Sweet and round, the dynamics of depth on this one is so comforting.

Illimani

1650 masl

Illimani is a village of roughly 300 and have more of a communal living center to an otherwise rural mountainside. The touching words of farmer from the village best explains it, "Given the altitude where we live, the only thing we can produce is coffee. Oranges don’'t produce, they turn out tiny. The same with bananas. Coffee is good because it let’s us eat, buy clothes, and send the kids to study. The coffee is what helps us.” The Aymara word Illlimani means “where the sun rises”, it refers to a particular mountain peak southeast of La Paz that is a centerpiece to the skyline. A refreshing juicy quality allows hibiscus tea and white grape juice to quench whatever thirst you might’ve had. The body just slightly thickens to a golden raisin dipped into caramel and covered with a thin milk chocolate layer. It remains playful throughout and washes away clean as a summer tea or fresca would do.  

Caravani bolivia

• Origin - Bolivia

• Department - La Paz

• Region - Yungas

• Province - Caravani

• District - Caravani

• Altitude - 1400-1800 masl

• Variety - Catuai, Typica