Bolivia: Grover Machaca

Think a mug of black tea, sweetened with honey and a slice of lemon in there too!

The remote, 200-hectare region of Irupana sits in the South Yungas province towards the most westerly edge of Bolivia, nestled among the Andes mountain range that straddles the edge of the country. It’s to the south of Caranavi, the largest coffee-growing region in the country, and boasts a similar verdant (albeit slightly drier), high-altitude terrain that make excellent conditions for growing coffee, reflected in the region’s strong history of coffee farming. Farms in Irupana are small (on average around 5 hectares) and around 1,800 people live locally.

We’ve only sourced coffee from the region a handful of times in previous years. It’s common for coffee from more remote areas of Bolivia to be blended lots, often made up of contributions from multiple smallholders, which means we can’t always trace the coffee back to individual farms. Thanks to improved traceability and deeper collaboration with the Sol de la Mañana program, we’re now seeing more availability of single-producer lots like this one from Grover. Roland was particularly excited about this new development for our 2025 harvest Bolivian coffees and said, "It’s a significant step forward - not just for transparency, but for recognising the skill and dedication of individual farmers whose work could otherwise go unnamed". 

This coffee comes from Grover Machaca's farm, and the combination of great location, great farming and great processing has delivered flavours which really surprised us on the cupping table (in the best way!). Grover has a 2-hectare farm located at 1800 metres above sea level in the hills above Irupana town. He grows a small quantity of Caturra and Catuai as is typical of smallholders in the region. This lot comes entirely from Grover’s farm.

As this area is a little further away from Caranavi than most of the small producers we buy from in the Yungas, it means that it’s not practical to process the coffee at the Buena Vista Mill. The other Bolivian producers we buy from are processed by Agricafe, either at Buena Vista in Caranavi or El Fuerte in Samaipata). Irupana is too far to deliver fresh cherry to Buena Vista mill (about 4 hours’ drive each way), the small producers in this area typically sell their coffee as cherry in the town to traders.

Enthusiastic and a self-confessed coffee lover, Jeivert Panuni is a second-generation coffee producer and was previously part of the Irupana Cooperativo. This large coffee co-operative bought and processed nearly all the coffee in Irupana in 2016 (how we first came to buy his coffee way back when!) and is where he started out in coffee and began developing his skills as a producer. In 2017, Jeivert had been learning a lot at the Cooperative but was convinced there was a better way to get the best results (and value) from the great coffees produced in the region, so he set up his own micro-mill to process his coffee.

This quickly showed itself to be a good choice, with the Irupana Cooperativo closing in 2019 as the number of local producers declined (many moving to Coca leaf production). His wet mill is equivalent to the family micro-mills in Costa Rica, just enough for his farm La Avanzada and a bit of cherry from his neighbours. He has constructed a purpose-built brick drying room with raised beds inside, protecting the coffee from the elements while allowing good airflow. It's modest by any commercial standard but has been transformative for the area.

Grover brings his cherry to La Avanzada for processing, and the partnership goes deeper than logistics. He's become a key support in Jeivert's growing operation, which now buys cherry from neighbouring producers too, creating a more sustainable supply chain in a region where coffee farming faces real challenges. Jeivert has a real flare for Honey processing, as we saw in the great coffees we had from his mill last year - La Avanzada and Jeivert & Grover. This year, Roland was hoping to meet him, but a shortage of petrol in Bolivia made that impossible. However, we did get three lots from him! This tiny lot grown by Grover is very special, and we’re so glad we were able to nab it. 

• Country: Bolivia
• Region: Irupana
• Department: La Paz
• Province: Sud Yungas
• Producer: Grover Machaca
• Processed by: Jeivert Panuni
• Elevation: 1,800 m.a.s.l
• Variety: Caturra & Catuai
• Processing method: Honey 

Medium

We've taken this one to a medium roast - developed enough to bring out that lovely honeyed sweetness and round, tea-like body, but pulled back before things get too dark. The aim here is balance: enough roast character to give the cup depth and comfort, while still letting Grover's coffee speak for itself. Expect a smooth, approachable brew that works beautifully as a filter or a gentle espresso, with those lemon and honey notes coming through cleanly without any roasty bitterness getting in the way.

Tasting notes: Black tea, honey, lemon.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean Cup: 7/8
• Sweetness: 6.5/8
• Acidity: 6.5/8
• Mouthfeel: 6/8
• Flavour: 7.5/8
• Aftertaste: 6/8
• Balance: 6/8
• Overall: 7/8
• Correction: +36
• Total: 88.5/100

If you'd like to find out more about how we score coffees, make sure to read our blog post "What Do Coffee Cupping Scores Actually Mean?" by clicking here.

Our coffee is roasted fresh and ships quickly – which means it might arrive a little lively. Here's the thing: freshly roasted beans are still busy releasing carbon dioxide (a natural byproduct of roasting), and all that activity can make your brew taste a bit sharp or unsettled.

Give it a few days to calm down and something lovely happens. Those brighter, edgier notes mellow out, sweetness develops, and the flavours you're actually after can really come into focus.

We recommend resting your coffee for at least 5-7 days from the roast date on the bag before brewing. A little patience goes a long way.

That said, this is just what we've found works best – not a rule. If you can't wait, we completely understand. Tuck in whenever you like.