Bolivia Uchumachi Coffee

We've been buying coffee from the Mamani family in the remote Uchumachi community in Bolivia's North Yungus region since we first started roasting coffee 14 years ago and it is always one of our favourite origins to come into the roastery. Rene Mamani and his family here are part of Agricafe's amazing Sol de Manana project which is an initiative that focuses on improving production and quality creating a more profitable and sustainable future for Bolivia's coffee producing communities.

René, who is originally from Escoma, moved to Uchumachi few years ago. He got into coffee when he was a teenager and used to visit his brother-in-law Mauricio Mamani and help him on the farm. In 2009 René took the leap and bought a 14-hectare plot with his brother Juan and has been growing coffee independently ever since. René met his wife Nicolasa when they were both at school in Escoma. Now they have three daughters. When René's not working he enjoys relaxing, enjoying the beautiful countryside in that region and taking his daughters to swim in the river and the natural pools. The best part about growing coffee in René's opinion is working with the nursery and the coffee in its first year. "They're like babies," he says. "That's why I want to plant another hectare He delights in watching the plants grow and seeing the amount of cherries they're producing. And that makes him happy, thinking about their production and the income it means for his family. René's extended family has coffee farms in the region and he enjoys what he calls "healthy competition" in their coffee growing. He says seeing his relatives set and meet their production goals helps keep him motivated as well. "I can't fall asleep, I have to keep doing things well!'

About the process
'Washed mosto' is a type of fermentation process in which the juicy mucilage (that would have been been removed during the depulping stage, is then added back into the fermentation tanks with the coffee in order to create a complex fermentation.

Landlocked, high blown and so often overlooked and forgotten. Yet Bolivia is one of the most extraordinary countries in the world. With 36 different ethnic groups and landscapes as varied and rich as its people, the country includes Andean peaks, vast salt flats and dense Amazon jungle. Bolivia also produces some phenomenal coffee much of it grown in the region of Caranavi where smallholders farm a patchwork of coffee, fruit trees and coca in amongst the wild forest.

Each farming family typically has no more than two or three hectares of land and small communities will often pool their resources to produce coffee together in a ‘colonia’ of several families.

Coffee production in Bolivia has been in steady decline in the past decade. Annual exports have dropped from around 70,000 bags in 2011 to just 30,000 in the last few years.

Our export partners, the Rodriguez family of Agricafe are doing amazing work with their Sol de Mañana programme providing education and training in best agricultural practices to help farmers improve both quality and yield. It’s an honour to work with these producers and we hope you enjoy their coffee as much as we do.

Our speciality coffees are 100% traceable and ethically sourced. We work direct with farmers, or through trusted partners, to bring you the best coffee from around the world.

Sourced in partnership with: Agricafe Bolivia
Producer relationship length: Since 2017