How to drink coffee in Bolivia

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Although the coffee business in Bolivia began in the 1920s, it now contributes very little to the global coffee supply. About 95% of Bolivia's coffee comes from Yungas, a rich region on the eastern slope of the Andes, northeast of La Paz (one of Bolivia's two capitals). The Yunqi region has many necessary conditions for growing quality coffee, including extremely high elevations and reliable dry and rainy seasons. However due to problems with transport and production methods Bolivian coffee has a poor reputation in the past and therefore often receives low-priced coffee.

Bolivia's geographical location and underdeveloped infrastructure have added another layer of complexity, which has historically posed challenges to coffee production and export. Coffee cherries collected in the damp Yungas Valley must pass through alpine passageways to reach the processing plant in La Paz and then to the seaports of Chile or Peru, which is a long journey, leading to extreme temperature changes. this is bad for coffee quality. The most notorious of these roads is the Road of death (Camino de la Muerte), which has a peak of more than 15000 feet.

To address these challenges, the United States Agency for International Development, in cooperation with the Government of Bolivia, launched a project in 2001 to demonstrate the region's ability to produce high-quality coffee and to provide farmers with an alternative to coca production, which is widespread in the region. Wet mills were built in the clouds so that the moisture level of coffee could be reduced before passing through the Andes. In the next few years, the output and quality of coffee have been significantly improved. Life for coffee producers was easier in 2006 when a new route around the Camino de Mott River was completed. The Bolivian Coffee Association (ACEB) and the winner Cup Competition have also done a great deal of work to raise quality awareness in Bolivia. Although challenges remain, Bolivia has made considerable progress in the quality of coffee and we are still surprised by the quality and specialty coffee produced in the country.

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