Café Lidia

History
Four years ago, Ángel Mamani started a new phase of his life. He brought his family to the Yungas region of the department of La Paz. He had no house, and no means of subsistence. He made a deal with a friend to buy a lot in Colonia San Ignacio, and to pay this debt within a year, in coffee grains. That year he spent struggling to cultivate coffee and asking his neighbors what to do. The harvest was good, and he was able to pay his debt and take over the land. Last year, he was surprised by the number of his neighbors who participated in and won the Cup of Excellence. “I was convinced because so many people presented their samples and so many won. Comrade Raymundo, Mario, Profirio from across the way, Cleto, Juana… I didn’t know how to process coffee. I investigated how you wash, how you dry, how you use the drying racks.” He consulted with his family and decided to risk it once again and participate in the competition this year. “I talked it over with my children, with my wife. We heard about it on the radio and we got excited. We took the coffee over to Caranavi to sell it. We stored the harvest. We dried it. The whole lot we presented.” Now Ángel wants to continue producing coffee, and with what he earns from the auction he plans to buy another lot in order to expand his plantations.

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

Other Statistics:
Soil Type: Silt Loam
Annual Precipitation: 1600 mm/year
Shade Type: Inga edulis sp.
Weed Control: 2 times a year
Pruning: Growth - Renovation
Productive Practices: Organic compost from the discarded coffee pulp, the use of organic barriers, soil protection.