Jatum Kjari

History
Telmo Cahuana Mamani began growing coffee in 1986 on a hectare of land that had been given to him as payment for his work as a school teacher at Comunidad Universo.

From that point on Telmo dedicated himself to coffee production. He participated in previous competitions, but this was the first year he had made it to the international jury. “For me, this is a great achievement. As a result I’m very motivated and excited to keep working…first to improve the quality of for my family and children, and also to keep producing coffee.”

The farm is located in the Pilón Lajas Ecological Reserve, explained Telmo. “Coffee is a very noble product for the land, it is a friend of the environment. This is why I and my compañeros respect mother earth.”

Telmo currently has 16 hectares planted with criollo and caturra coffee, and one day hopes to have as much as 100 hectares of coffee. “Thanks to God, today we have more demand than we can produce. Coffee is profitable and I want to tell all of my neighbors that quality of the coffee speaks for itself; if a coffee is good it will sell itself and Bolivian coffee is excellent.”

Quality Practices
Ripe cherries are hand harvested from June to September. Depulping is done daily immediately after harvest. Wet milling is done centrally at AIPAC’s plant. Depulped coffee is fermented for 15 hours and washed with clean water from mountain springs. The coffee is then sun-dried on drying patios and tables.

Environmental Care
Production is done without the use of chemical pesticides or fertilizers.

Other Statistics:
Type of Soil: Clay and sand
Average Annual Rainfall: 1,700 mm
Type of Shade: Siquili - Forestales
Weeding: Twice per year
Pruning: Sanitary pruning
Production practices: Organic pest control using Bauveria bassiana