Bolivian green coffee beans

The commercial development of coffee in Bolivia began in the 1920s, but today contributes only a small share to world supplies. About 95% of Bolivian coffee beans are grown in the Yungas, the region has all the necessary conditions, including altitude and reliable wet and dry seasons. Bolivian coffee has had a bad reputation in the past due to problems with transportation and production methods, and as a result has often received low rankings.

Geography and underdeveloped infrastructure made it difficult to produce and export Bolivian green coffee beans. Cherries harvested in the humid valleys of the Yungas had to go a difficult way to processing plants in La Paz and then to seaports in Chile or Peru, which negatively affected the coffee. The most famous of these roads was the Camino de la Muerte (Road of Death), which at its highest point reached a height of over 15,000 feet. Coffee production and quality increased when a new route was built in 2006 to bypass the Camino de la Muerte.