Café Zona 8 – Villa Oriente

History
This sample is the work of nearly forty families who are members of Cooperativa Villa Oriente, all residents of Colonia 8 de Septiembre in the Alto Beni. Fifteen families originally migrated to this colony from various parts of the high plains (the altiplano) in the 80’s. When they arrived, there was nothing but jungle. As the years went by, their children grew and formed their own families, adding to the community, improving their quality of life and expanding production. When they arrived, they learned to produce coffee, but they labored under difficult conditions. There was no road, and the coffee they produced had to be carried out on their shoulders to the nearest road. Little by little, the situation improved. Trainers arrived to teach them about the management of coffee and the roads got better. They decided to join forces for the benefit of everyone and to participate in the Cup of Excellence to discover how good their coffee production really is. “We’re satisfied and we think that it’s a motivation to improve. We’re in 25th place, but we want to get better. At least fifth place or better. We’re going to have to struggle and improve the quality of our coffee. That way we’ll improve the incomes for our families.” The price that this coffee earns will be divided among all the families that contributed to the production, but everyone has a common interest in investing in their processing plant. They need to improve the drying process, said Alberto Catunta, the president of the colony.

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

Other Statistics:
Soil Type: Clay Loam
Annual Precipitation: 1500 mm/year
Shade Type: Inga edulis sp. - Cedrella odorata
Weed Control: 2 times a year
Pruning: Growth - Renovation Production Practices: Organic compost from the discarded coffee pulp, the use of natural barriers, soil protection