Bolivia is a new origin for us at PMC. It’s not somewhere that we’ve travelled extensively or purchased large amounts of coffee – but just because we’re new to the party, that doesn’t mean Specialty Coffee in Bolivia is a new phenomenon.
The first records of coffee being grown in Bolivia date back to the 18th century, where the crop was largely grown for domestic consumption. In the 1970s and 80s, coffee production as an exportable crop, really started to ramp up, after the government started legislating against the country’s other main agricultural crop, Coca leaves.
Bordering Peru to the west, La Paz is Bolivia’s most famous coffee growing region, known for the extreme terrain of the Andes mountains.
Alex Roque established Finca Roque, a seven-hectare farm, in 2017. On just three hectares of the land, he cultivates Red Catuai and Typica trees, harvesting them all by hand. He processes his coffees at the farm and dries the coffee on raised beds.
