High up in the western mountains of Bolivia, a group of coffee producers have embraced change in order to produce the best quality coffee possible. By working together to improve aspects of the coffee production process, they have achieved both organic and fairtrade certification and “speciality coffee” status, securing a better income for the farmers. 

The producers of 30 small family farms in the Northeast Central region in the Caranavi Province have been eager to use their generational knowledge to upgrade the quality of the coffee they produce and improve their livelihoods.  

APROCAFE is a long-established cooperative of organic coffee producers. The communities are dispersed and remote – in some cases, they do not have electricity, drinking water, or sewage – and the families depend on their coffee crops for their income. Many members are second or third generation producers who have specialized in coffee production and are steeped in related expertise. For example, many are cuppers which means they are highly skilled in tasting the coffee to evaluate its attributes and assess its quality, or they have studied technical subjects such as agronomy (the science and technology of soil management and crop production) in order to apply this knowledge to their coffee plants. 

APROCAFE currently exports small volumes of its product. But in order to obtain good market prices for their coffee and a better income for their families, members have explored new ways to improve the quality of their coffee.  

“First we looked at the needs of the people, we thought strategically about what we were missing as an organization,” says Olivia Quispe, Project Coordinator at APROCAFE, whose family have been coffee producers for many years. “We saw that we needed access to water, as well as improved inputs and infrastructure. This would help to improve our coffee production.” 

Technical assistance for better production

To make this a reality, APROCAFE received technical support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, through the Forest and Farm Facility (FFF), on agroforestry, water conservation and soil quality. 

APROCAFE members have learned to use sustainable practices to manage their forest crops. They have integrated native and non-native timber species, such as Toco, Ceibo, Skili Coroico, Scots Pine, and Pacay Machete, amongst their coffee crops to protect the plants from the sun in the face of the changing climate. 

The cooperative is also protecting water sources by conserving springs, rivers and streams through reforestation with friendly species such as bamboo and mayflower. 

Coffee producers received tailored training on how to increase the productivity of their coffee plants and how to strengthen their agroecological practices. They now use natural fertilisers (so-called bio-inputs) to enhance the nutrition of their plants and soils. This has resulted in better quality soils and has boosted the productivity of their coffee crops. 

The cooperative has also improved its coffee bean collection centre and they have bought new equipment for their quality control laboratory. In addition, a water tank has been installed to ensure the water used during the sorting and selecting process is free from impurities. The coffee cherries are thrown into the water tank to remove the unripe ones which float to the surface.

From bean to cup – something special

Thanks to these efforts, APROCAFE has received both organic and fair-trade certifications for its coffee. These improvements have also ensured that the coffee they produce reaches a score equal to or greater than 85 cup points – a qualification required to be classified as speciality coffee. 

A speciality coffee is one that has met certain standards of excellence throughout every step of the production process – from how and where the coffee crop is grown, to how it is harvested and processed. Importantly, speciality coffee has a higher value when exported to the international markets of Europe and Asia, giving producers a better price for their product. 

APROCAFE members will continue to work hand in hand with FFF and in coordination with the Ministry of Rural Development and Lands of Bolivia to keep strengthening the cooperative and to maximise its potential, in a bid to create fairer and better coffee for all.