A small, very high-altitude Andean origin centred on the Yungas of La Paz department.
Bolivia is a minor coffee producer, at about 23,600 tonnes of green coffee in 2023. Coffee is grown mainly in the Yungas of La Paz department, with Caranavi described as the most important specialty area, at elevations of roughly 800-2,300 m (Caranavi farms about 1,400-2,000 m), among the highest used for coffee anywhere. A smaller area near Samaipata (Santa Cruz department) is worked by Fincas Los Rodriguez. The Instituto Boliviano de Café was founded in 1965, and in the late 1980s coffee was offered as a lower-return alternative to coca. Common varieties include Typica, Caturra, Catuai and Pacas.
History
The Yungas historically produced Bolivia's highest-quality coffee. Accounts cite about 2.4 million lb produced by 1885, falling to about 1.5 million lb by 1908, and describe coffee growing spontaneously from fallen seed. In the 20th century the Comité Boliviano del Café allocated export quotas, and the Instituto Boliviano de Café (established 1965) ran model farms and disease control.
Field notes
- i
Coffee and citrus were offered as alternatives to coca in Bolivia's late-1980s eradication efforts, although their returns were a fraction of coca's.
- ii
Bolivia produced roughly 23,600 tonnes of green coffee in 2023.
- iii
Two importers date the arrival of the Cup of Excellence in Bolivia to 2004. Melbourne Coffee Merchants adds that the President's Cup followed in 2010.
Where it growsBolivian coffee grows at unusually high altitude for the tropics, on the eastern Andean slopes of the Yungas.
In the cup, according to guides
- SweetnessMoreCaranavi lots are described by one specialty club as showing complex sweetness (caramel, honey) with stone fruit and citrus acidity.
Regions of Bolivia
-
Bolivia's best-known coffee district, on the eastern Andean slope in La Paz department. Coffee was well established here by the 1880s.
Caranavi · Coroico · Chulumani · Sud Yungas
-
Highland town in Santa Cruz department where Fincas Los Rodriguez grows washed Caturra. The area is better known for wine.
How it is usually processed
Species
- Coffea arabica100%
Sources · 9 Every sentence here was checked against a source we read. Taste notes are what guides describe, not promises about your bag. Last revised 2026-11-11. Some details here are less settled than others.
- Yungas · Wikipedia
- Agriculture in Bolivia · Wikipedia
- List of countries by coffee production · Wikipedia / FAOSTAT
- Coffee production in Bolivia · Wikipedia
- Bolivia: The Underdog High-Altitude Origin · Podium Coffee Club
- Bolivia, Yungas Mountain · She Grows Coffee
- Bolivia Caturra Coffee from Samaipata, Santa Cruz · Covoya Specialty Coffee
- Origin: Bolivia · Melbourne Coffee Merchants
- Bolivia coffee origin (Coffee Hunter, Mercanta text) · Coffee Hunter (text credited to Mercanta)