Bolivian coffee is new to the world of specialty coffees, only now creating the infrastructure, technology, and skills needed to promote a quality product that supports economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Fair trade and organic initiatives, coupled with economic development projects  provide support and opportunity to coffee producers on a local, national, and international level.

Geography

Located in the western heart of South America, Bolivia covers an area of 1,098,581 square kilometers – roughly three times the size of Montana. Two ranges of the Andes Mountains stretch across western Bolivia, shaping the country’s three major geographic regions: the mountainous highlands and Altiplano in the west, the semitropical Yungas and temperate valleys of the eastern mountain slopes, and the tropical lowlands that span across the northern and eastern regions, known as the Oriente.

Coffee 

Bolivia is a very small player in the coffee industry, ranking 38th in coffee production, behind the US at 35th. Ninety-five percent of coffee production in Bolivia is in the Yungas region.  

Coffee first came to Bolivia in the late 18^th century where the coffee trees were initially used as property markers or to line roads. By the late 1950’s, over 17,000 acres were in coffee production, but the government’s interest in mining resulted in a near-abandonment of coffee farming due to the lack of incentives.

Prior to 1991, most farms in Bolivia were owned by wealthy land owners who hired Brazil’s native people to work for them.  In 1991, a governmental land reform forced the larger landowners to return the farms to the families who had originally owned them.  These small plots range in size from 2.5 to 8 acres, but these organic farms produce between 85%-95% of Bolivia’s coffee, despite the fact that often only a small percentage of the land is dedicated to coffee.

The Bolivian coffee industry has been adjusting its quality by improving its post-harvest techniques, mostly due to the Market Access and Poverty Alleviation (MAPA) project, a USAID-funded project that provides technical assistance to coffee growers in Bolivia. This young coffee industry is in the hands of more than 23,000 small growers are learning how to make better coffee while bringing home a steady income.  These small landholders use little or no fertilizers or pesticides, typically hand-picking and washing their coffee beans before sun or machine drying.

Bolivia has all the components necessary to be a high-quality coffee producer: altitude, fertile soil, and a consistent rainy season. However, the rugged terrain and lack of infrastructure and technology make post-harvest quality control quick difficult.  Green coffee beans had to be sent along the “Death Road,” a dangerous mountain road.  Conditions along this road make keeping the coffee beans dry a difficult task, affecting the flavor of the coffee.   Recent funding from external agencies has helped establish co-ops in the rural areas.  Since 2006, the “Death Road” has been upgraded and modernized.  Bolivian coffee farmers now have the ability to ensure quality coffee while providing more community jobs and tapping into the global organic market.

Within the entire Bolivian coffee industry, 28 privately owned firms control more than 70% of  the coffee export trade. The remaining percentage is traded by Bolivia’s 17 coffee cooperatives. Both the private and cooperative sectors are members of the Bolivian Coffee Committee, or Cobolca. Most of Bolivia’s green coffee beans are exported to the US, the European Union, the Russian Federation, and Japan.

The Coffee Crisis

The global coffee crisis has been devastating for Bolivia’s rural famers. In 1997, Bolivia exported 6,725 metric tons of green coffee and received $26,040,000, making each metric ton worth approximately $3,872. In 2003, however,  green coffee exports totaled 4,453 metric tons, returning only $6,389,000, thereby  valuing each metric ton at a mere $1,4237. This staggering price disparity reflects (on a smaller scale) the natural boom and bust cycles of the coffee economy, making small-scale farmers extremely vulnerable to cyclical price shocks.

Programs and Social Change

Specialty coffee labeling, such as Fair Trade, organic, and shade grown, and the cooperative movement have been gaining momentum among a variety of rural farmers. Many cooperatives have united under this movement, yet others are incapable of paying the certification costs, which are considerable in the context of such poverty. ANTOFAGASTA, established near La Paz in 1992, was one of the first cooperatives on the Fair Trade register that sells a portion of their coffee through Equal Exchange’s Fair Trade market.

Bolivian Coffee

Correctly processed Bolivian coffee has a full, almost fruity taste.  Some describe this coffee as having a classic clean taste, sweet with fruity notes of pear, tangerine, lemon, apricot, and apple. Bolivian coffee that has been deep roasted tends to develop a more caramel and mild chocolate flavor.

The next time you thinking about trying something new, consider Bolivian coffee.  Every bag of fair trade Bolivian coffee you buy promotes sustainable farming while helping the coffee farmers become self-sufficient.