Brought to Equator Coffee Roasters from the Yungas-Pumiri region of Bolivia is our new single origin coffee: Bolivia. It is available for purchase in-stores and online from now until October 3rd.
History Of The Asociacion Integral de Productores Ecologicos de Pumiri (AIPEP)
Our single origin of the month comes from the same primary-level producer association as our Bolivia pick back in November of last year, the AIPEP. For more details on the history of the AIPEP, check out our older article on it here.
History Of Other Cooperatives In Bolivia
Equator Coffee Roasters works with four other cooperatives in Bolivia. Read on to learn more about them, starting from the northernmost and moving south in order.
History Of The Mejillones
Established in 1988, the Mejillones Cooperative has since quadrupled its members from the founding 20 farmers that had banded to promote quality coffee production and organic practices within the region through internal competitions and learning. Their result shines in national competitions with a winning cup that has a creamy-bodied and sweetly acidic profile featuring dark chocolate, dark fruit, and fig flavors. This proven quality backed with Small-Farmer Symbol and Fair Trade certifications means it's only a matter of time before Mejillones starts to sell into national and international specialty, fair trade, and organic markets.
History Of The Cooperativa Agricola Cafetalera San Juan
In the 1970s and 80s, inhabitants of Aymara origin escaped a ravaging drought in their homeland in the Altiplano region in the La Paz department, the administrative capital of west-central Bolivia, to settle in the north of Caranavi. After managing to overcome the remote wilderness, the Cooperativa Agricola Cafetalera San Juan (aka Coop. San Juan) was formed in 1974 and stands as one of Bolivia’s oldest coffee-growing cooperatives. Their efforts to commercialize coffee via sustainable cultivation has led them to develop markets in the US, Germany, and Belgium.
History Of The CIAPEC
Both nationally and internationally recognized as one of Yungas’ most essential organizations, especially with its advancement efforts via a program in sustainable development, the CIAPEC has prioritized the inclusion of achiote, citrus, coca, and coffee farmers from the Altiplano. With an eye to future generations, sustainability, and trading under Fair Trade terms, this organization has members from the communities of Aguas Turbias to Choronta Berea, Entre Rios, Fernando Magallanes, Ho Linda, Kantutani, Union Camacho, Villa Camacho, Villa Esperanza, and 1ro de Mayo.
History Of The Union Pro-Agro
Founded in 2000, the Union Pro-Agro (aka UPA) was set up in the Caranavi Province in the Canton of Chijcjipani to support its members’ coffee production sustainably. Many of its coffee farmers are of Aymara and Quechua origin and had migrated to the region to take up their profession due to the same drought that afflicted the aforementioned Aymara settlers. As of this writing, UPA has 192 members across 11 communities and three “ecological floors” relating to high, medium, and low altitudes. Direct exports began seven years following UPA’s establishment. The region is now even the center of a burgeoning tourism initiative referred to as “la Casa del Cafe.”
Tasting Notes And Flavors
The Bolivia is a washed process medium-dark roast coffee (our roast level 5) that was grown at an altitude of 1200 to 1550 m above sea level. The primary Coffea Arabica varietals that are typically grown in this region are Catuai and Typica. With an impressive cupping score of 83.75, this specialty coffee perfectly encapsulates the change of season that September brings, from the juicy plum tasting notes common to a fruit-favoring summer to its intermingling with the nuttier notes of hazelnuts and rich cocoa that we all know and love in our fall brews.
With September being the start of new routines, why not give this coffee a try?
References:
- Cooperative Coffees. (n.d.). Union Pro Agro. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://fairtradeproof.com/users/view/159
- Cooperative Coffees. (n.d.). Mejillones. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://fairtradeproof.com/users/view/158
- Cooperative Coffees. (n.d.). Coop. San Juan. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://fairtradeproof.com/users/view/260
- Cooperative Coffees. (n.d.). CIAPEC. Retrieved July 17, 2024, from https://fairtradeproof.com/users/view/258
