Java Washed • Espresso • Dried plums, Oriental Spices, Dark Chocolate

Variety: Java
Process: Washed
Producer: Rodolfo & Ilsa
Location: Bolinda, Caranavi Province, Bolivia
Elevation: 1700 masl

Net weight: 250 grams whole beans
Roasted for: Espresso

It happened during the purchasing of the 2020 harvest, when we were directly hit with the sad and untold truth most smallholder farmers face every season. When selecting new and rare beans for our then soon to be launched Brewer’s Club, we came across Rodolfo, a humble producer who was financially forced to sell his picked coffee cherries to a wet mill, at a fraction of the price we would have paid him if he processed them himself. In short, living by the day, he couldn’t afford to financially survive the 2-3 months period that it takes to process the cherries; he just needed the money. So, we ended up losing on both ends; we had one less bean on offer, and he was denied access to funds that might have supported him throughout the year. 

For the 2021 harvest, we decided to change this by literally asking what he needed in order to process these cherries himself and for us to buy them in the form we need them for roasting. Long story short, we put down an interest-free down-payment for his crop in form of building materials for raised African beds, where he could sun-dry his picked cherries. When visiting his Finca some two months after this, we saw the beautiful work he had done with two long raised beds full of his Java variety drying in the sun. As crazy as it sounds, we actually invested in him, so that we could pay him more money for this coffee. But, he is now able to process part of his harvest on his own Finca, get higher prices for it and slowly be able to reinvest in his Finca and better provide for his family.

This is what Proyecto Elevate, our shared sourcing program with Elevate Coffee Bolivia (our sister roastery at origin) is all about: meet each producer where they’re at, with unconventional methods, and helping them case by case advance to the next level. Coffee becomes a shared effort between producer and roaster. In Rodolfo’s case, it means getting him in a situation where he can start cover his production costs.

Sourcing directly at origin from small farmers, we are fully aware of the hard work that goes into the quality product we buy and the challenges their families face to earn their fragile livelihood. In this regard, coffee producing communities in Bolivia face additional challenges, due to the lack of infrastructure, financial support and difficult access to international freight routes. To fairly balance the relationship between roaster and producer we are price takers and as part of our long term commitment to a financially and environmentally sustainable coffee production in Bolivia, we factor these realities into the pricing.

For this 310Kg lot of specialty grade coffee, Rodolfo and Ilsa received 11,01 USD/Kg.