Gutierrez Family

This coffee was grown by Paulino Gutierrez and Mercedes Ramírez at their farm Finca Gutierrez, in the small township of Taipiplaya, in Bolivia’s Caranavi region.

Visiting Taipiplaya involves a long and dusty car ride on a dirt road, winding through rugged mountains and dense native jungle. Despite its remoteness, coffee has been grown here for decades by a community of smallholder producers. Limited resources, disease and a changing climate have resulted in declining yields, however, causing many in the region to abandon coffee altogether.

For Paulino and Mercedes, there was another solution. After seeing firsthand the transformation of participating farms in nearby regions, the couple became the first in Taipiplaya to join the Sol de la Mañana agronomy program. Since joining in 2018, they have accessed mentorship and technical assistance to produce specialty grade coffees and connect with quality focused buyers like Market Lane. They have also become influential leaders within Taitaplaya, playing an important role in sharing their knowledge with coffee producers in their community, and encouraging them to embrace better farming practices to help them improve their quality and yield. Today, Taitaiplaya is an important coffee-growing region, and the number of Sol de la Mañana producers here continues to grow.

• Region: Taipiplaya, Caranavi
• Country: Bolivia
• Variety: Caturra, Catuai
• Processing: Washed