Bolivia: Pedro Flores, Mosto Washed

Bolivia: Pedro Flores, Mosto Washed

Think delicate, sweet white peach and a little pop of white grape. A twist of lime to it and a sprinkle of white sugar sweetness makes this a sweet but elegant coffee.

This is the second lot of single origin coffee beans we sourced from Pedro Flores this season. The first, released earlier this year, was a Dry Fermented Washed coffee, this lot makes a beautiful comparison by taking the same crop of Caturra and Catuai coffee cherries and processing them via the Mosto Washed method. Two very different approaches to Washed processing for two delicious Bolivian coffees.

Pedro’s Farm

Pedro Flores’ farm is in the small colonia of Villa Rosario, a short drive east of Caranavi city. The Caranavi province sits towards the western edge of Bolivia, on the eastern slopes of the Andes mountain range. Caranavi means "high place" in the Aymara language, one of the indigenous languages spoken in Bolivia. Caranavi province sits in a transitional zone between the high Andes and the Amazon basin, it’s known for its lush vegetation and has been dubbed the "Coffee Capital of Bolivia" for its ideal growing conditions and over 13,000 hectares of plantations.

Pedro has about 2 hectares of land spread across a ridge at 1,500 metres above sea level. He’s very aware of how the plants respond differently depending on the different microclimates they experience on one side from the other. He’s part of the Sol De La Mañana project, run by our Bolivian coffee exporting partners Agricafe. The program provides training in specialty coffee agronomy to small producers. Through this, he’s learnt to replant his land and manage his coffee plants more methodically to get both quality and consistency.

Looking To Tomorrow

Meaning “The Sun of Tomorrow”, this program supports small local coffee producers to increase their long term efficiency and quality of production so that they can better grow sustainable coffee beans. The Los Rodriguez farms play into this, with the varietals, techniques, and processing which they develop on the farms being passed on to the Sol De La Mañana producers. The producers get support in understanding not just coffee agronomy but cupping, the coffee markets, and much more. The coffee from these producers is delivered to Agricafe’s mill - Buena Vista - in the evening and processed there. Each lot is rigorously separated, measured and controlled to ensure the best quality for the coffee. In Bolivia, even a small portion of the coffee harvest earning less than a good speciality coffee price would be devastating to the producers.

To ensure only the very ripest coffee cherries are picked, it's not uncommon for producers in the Sol De La Mañana program to do 7 or 8 harvesting passes across their plants, many more than producers in other parts of the world do. This is very labour intensive and yields smaller amounts each pass but ensures great quality coffee. The downside is that for each delivery of cherries from the Sol De La Mañana producers in Bolinda, the lots are often too tiny to process separately and so it’s common for coffee from these smallholders to end up as blended lots 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 origin coffees like this one from Pedro. 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".

Juicy Juicy Mosto

The meticulous processing carried out at the Buena Vista mill manages the fermentation, depulping and drying processes to ensure exceptionally high quality coffee - aided by their onsite laboratory where the coffee is analysed daily and its progress tracked. Through their exacting systems

Produced by Pedro Flores in the Caranavi region of Bolivia, this lot showcases the potential of the Caturra and Catuai varietals when subjected to specialized post-harvest techniques. This specific coffee utilizes the Mosto Washed process, a method that involves fermenting the cherries with a concentrated "mosto" (must) liquid to influence the final cup profile. While processing methods vary significantly in their impact on acidity and body, this particular approach highlights bright, delicate notes of white peach, white grape, lime, and white sugar.

Sourced by Has Bean, this selection offers a refined look at Bolivian production at 1500 masl. For those looking to better understand the nuances of these specific descriptors, consulting a flavor wheel can be a helpful tool for identifying the subtle interplay between the stone fruit and citrus characteristics present in this cup. It serves as a compelling example of how innovative fermentation can elevate traditional varietals.