Trapiche Bolivia

Fincas Los Rodriguez is operated by Pedro Rodriguez and his children, Daniela and Pedro Pablo. Senor Rodriguez started his coffee producing journey 38 years ago, working with small producers around the region and building a wet mill 22 years ago to process their coffees. However in 2012, as leaf rust started to spread amongst these small microlots, the Rodriguez family decided to start their own farms to continue the legacy of growing quality Bolivian coffees. Currently, they operate 8 farms in Caranavi, in the department of La Paz, and 5 are in Samaipata, in the department of Santa Cruz in Bolivia’s east. These 13 farms are managed under ‘Agricafe’, which is their exporting arm to share their coffees around the world.

Trapiche is one of the farms in Samaipata, and is named after a vineyard of the same name that the family visited in Argentina. This visit inspired them to model their coffee farm after a vineyard, using similar wine-making methodologies to innovate and improve the way they process coffees. Trapiche is relatively young farm, starting operations in 2016. However, due to the unique climate in the Samaipata region, coffees from this farm have a unique taste profile. The climate in Samaipata is temperate, semi-dry and mild, with an average annual temperature of 19.9°C. During summer, the days are warm and the nights are cool and this variation in temperature results in a longer ripening time and a thicker mucilage. Also, the local soil contains a lot of magnesium, which is ideal for growing coffee. The coffee plants are also less susceptible to diseases, resulting in healthy and consistent harvests.

This washed processed Bourbon varietal is a sweet and comfortable coffee from Trapiche. It was fermented with its mucilage for 72 hours, then went through a traditional washed process. This coffee is pleasant and smooth, reminding us of juicy apples, currants and a long red tea finish.