Bolivia San Juan

The Caranavi province sits in the Yungas, a narrow transition zone where the Bolivian Andes drop sharply toward the Amazon basin. The altitude, humidity, and rainfall create conditions well-suited to coffee — and for decades this region was the center of Bolivia's specialty coffee ambitions.

Cooperativa Agrícola Cafetalera San Juan was founded in 1974 by 40 farmer families committed to small farms and chemical-free methods. Then the hard years came. From 2006 to 2017, aging trees and falling investment gutted the coop's productivity.

The turnaround started when Felix Chambi Garcia joined in 2017. With 16 years of specialty experience as a cupper and cooperative member, Felix rebuilt quality control from the ground up. His lab in Alto Cochabamba is the central point for all lot building and export. Parchment that doesn't meet the minimum standard is sold domestically — nothing substandard gets exported. Production, quality, and diversity have all climbed significantly since.

Today 33 farms operate under a shared harvest protocol: cherry picked exclusively ripe, floated by density, depulped, fermented 18–24 hours, washed clean, and sun-dried on raised screen beds. Felix's generation — baristas, roasters, and producers alike — believes Bolivia has a lot of ground to cover. This lot is evidence of the progress being made.