Café Ascención

History
Domingo Mamani is a first-generation coffee producer. He arrived in the Yungas in 1982 and decided to produce coffee at the price that was available for this product. He admits, though, that there were many moments when he wanted to quit, on account of the penalties applied to the products that had were not well processed. For Domingo, everything changed with the international competition. “We were ready to move on somewhere else, but the prices rose on account of the Cup of Excellence. Now it’s not like it was before. Bolivian coffee is recognized. I took heart, and I’m still producing Coffee.” Domingo has participated in past competitions, but indirectly, through other producers who presented their product and won. “I thought, why am I working so hard for other people. I talked with my children and I decided to participate.”

It was not easy for Domingo to prepare his sample. He told us “My process is good. I’d like them to pay according to the work we did. I put care and effort into the coffee. Halfway through the harvest, I almost quit because it’s expensive. The harvesters sometimes don’t do their work well. You tell them to harvest only ripe cherries, but they do a bad job, ant you have go select again. But it’s worth it.”

Domingo’s four children have already graduated from school, but they aren’t studying in the university because they do not have the money. With what he earns from the sale of his coffee, Domingo will invest in his children’s studies, so that they can learn a profession and work in something other than coffee production.

Environmental Care
Organic compost from the discarded coffee pulp, the use of natural barriers, soil protection.

Other Statistics:
Soil Type: Silt Loam
Annual Precipitation: 1700 mm/year
Shade Type: Inga edulis sp.- Cedrella odorata.
Weed Control: 2 times a year
Pruning: Formation
Productive Practices: Organic compost from the discarded coffee pulp, the use of organic barriers, soil protection.