Bolivia Los Rodriguez

Say hello to Los Rodriguez, a rich coco natural from Caranavi, La Paz, and a coffee that carries a story of renewal for Bolivia's producing community. This lot comes from Sol de la Mañana, meaning "morning sun," Agricafe's social initiative to give back to Bolivia's coffee community. Over the past decade, Bolivian coffee production has steadily declined, squeezed by competition from coca cultivation, poor infrastructure, and leaf rust. In response, the Los Rodriguez family launched Sol de la Mañana in 2014, a program teaching producers effective farming practices to lift yields and secure the future of Bolivian coffee. The initiative runs like a school for producers, with 80 currently enrolled from the Caranavi region, most of them longtime, multi-generational growers. Participants follow a strict curriculum of modern techniques, with regular deadlines and milestones to hit. The results speak for themselves: average production per producer has climbed from just 5 to 8 bags per hectare to around 25 bags per hectare in recent years, tangible progress that's encouraging younger generations to stay in the family business and carry Bolivian coffee forward. This lot was processed using the coco natural method, where whole cherries are dried in "coco dryers", steel containers typically used for drying cocoa pods. A gentle flow of warm air rises from below the coffee bed, drying the parchment slowly and evenly, while the coffee is stirred manually at regular intervals to ensure a uniform dry. In the cup, expect rich blackberry and red grape up front, deepening into chocolate liqueur, before finishing on a warm English breakfast tea note. A generous and comforting cup!