Agriculture - Pickpol Global

PICKPOL INTERNATIONAL

COFFEE PRODUCTION CARANAVI, BOLIVIA

Bolivia produces coffees at very high elevations – above 1,400 meters, which qualifies most of its coffee as Strictly High Grown (1,450 m+). It’s landlocked on all sides by Peru, Brazil, Argentina and Chila, and contains a portion of the Andes mountains. Quinoa has become a famous crop of Bolivia in recent years

The majority of coffee grown is Typica, with Caturra and some Catuai available. Major coffee growing regions include the Yungas, Santa Cruz, Cochabamba, Tarija, Beni and Pando, with over 90% of the coffee production coming from the Yungas.

BOLIVIAN COFFEE TASTING NOTES

Bolivian coffee is known for its classic and clean taste with a delicate, bright acidity and a sweet, aromatic quality with fruity notes including apple, pear, tangerine, lemon, and apricot. Caramelly and mild chocolate flavors may develop during the coffee roasting process.

BOLIVIAN COFFEE PLANT VARIETALS

Most of the coffee plants grown in Bolivia are of the coffee plant varietal Typica (Coffea arabica var. typica), though there are also some Caturra plants (Coffea arabica var. caturra).

Small coffee farms have lacked access to proper fertilizer and minerals to support optimal growth of coffee trees and beans, resulting in low crop outputs in recent years. A lack of infrastructure also means that Bolivia has difficulty exporting to other countries, but it is available from time to time from green coffee importers in the United States and Canada.

Distributors and brokers are continuing to work on developing the wholesale coffee trade in Bolivia, and it should see some good growth in the upcoming years.

ORGANIC AND FAIR TRADE COFFEE IN BOLIVIA

Also grown in Bolivia is a significant amount of organic coffee and Fair Trade coffee. In recent years Bolivia has made significant gains in the quality of their unroasted green coffee bean processing methods. Shade grown coffee is also a fairly common practice.

BOLIVIAN CACAO AND CHOCOLATE

Growing conditions favorable to coffee also create ideal conditions for Cacao, and Bolivian chocolate is a special treat. Cacao is also roasted similarly to coffee, albeit at a lower temperature of 325 degrees and gradually lowered over 15-30 minutes to allow the insides of the larger beans to roast properly.

Trinitarian is the most common variety of fine-flavor cocoa, and makes a delicious dark chocolate, as well as mixing great with fruits such as cherry or blackberry, and coffee.

Bolivia is the No: 36 largest coffee growing country in the world, in 2015 they…
produced 11,776,921 lbs
exported 3,857,040 lbs
That’s only 33% exported!

Sounds like a lot? It’s actually 0.1% of the coffee grown worldwide.
Bolivia coffee is grown on mountainside “fincas” (farms) at 1400 to 1600 meters above sea level
(that’s 4,593 to 5,250 ft)

SOUTH AMERICAN COFFEES

Coffee beans from the Americas are best known for their light to medium body with a balanced and clean mouthfeel. American coffees typically exhibit a slight sweetness in the flavor which is often accented by a sparkling, crisp, and lively acidity that may be also be spicy.