Rich blackberries and sweet blood orange with a beautiful dose of florals on the nose. From the epicentre of Bolivian speciality coffee comes this gorgeous lot from producer Carmela Aduviri. With high elevations, rich soil, and wide daily temperature ranges, the area produces some of the best specialty coffee in the world. We paid 124% above the FairTrade price for this coffee. Learn why here. Carmela moved to the region at 25 years of age and has spent nearly 50 years working in coffee, all while raising eight children. Her farm, Carmalita, covers around three hectares and sits at an elevation of 1500–1670 MASL. Due to the steep terrain, the farm is laid out across five ‘floors’ and includes several corridors to ease the picking and loading of cherries. Carmela’s house is located on one of the farm’s few flat surfaces, a spot also home to mandarin and lime trees that the family grows for food. Carmela is a member of Agricafe’s Sol de la Mañana program, which aims to improve infrastructure and farming practices at the farm level, creating a more sustainable future for Bolivian coffee. Since joining in 2014, Carmela has built a vibrant coffee nursery, learning to prune, feed, and manage her plantation to increase yields. Through these efforts, Carmela has laid the foundation for a more profitable and secure future for her family. Before participating in the program, she earned around $1000 a year from coffee and was forced to grow coca to supplement her income. Now, she estimates that she earns over $20,000 annually from coffee alone. “Coffee has brought our family together,” says Carmela. “We used to live far apart, but now my sons are at the farm helping me every day.”
