the bolaven plateau

Spread over 55 villages, men and women who form the CPC all live on the Bolaven Plateau, in one of the three districts where the cooperative operates: Paksong, Laogam and Thateng.

Locally known as the "Spring of Lao coffee" and crossed by many rivers, the Bolaven Plateau is considered as the source of life for smallholders who live there. Located in Southern Laos at the crossroads of Thai, Cambodia and Vietnam borders, the Bolaven Plateau is inhabited by many ethnic minorities who live in harmony and make their living mainly from coffee and vegetable crops. Boasting exceptional climatic and geological conditions, the Bolaven Plateau has an old history with coffee since its introduction by the French nearly one century ago. Since then, the coffee industry has grown considerably to almost 70,000 hectares of plantations in 2012. Bolaven coffees have gained regional and international recognition from their organoleptic qualities and uniqueness, especially the “high altitude Robusta”.

WET PROCESSING CENTERS

The 42 collective wet processing centers are usually located at the heart of communities in which the members of the CPC live. Producers bring their freshly harvested cherries there every day and process it in accordance with a strict set of specifications that enables them to get a high quality coffee.

The wet process consists of pulping and fermenting red cherries just after harvest by using machines that use water in the pulping process. Internationally recognized as a minimum standard to produce high quality coffee, this method greatly enhances the organoleptic qualities of Arabica.

FACTORY, LABORATORY AND TRAINING CENTER

With a capacity of processing 20 tons of green coffee per day, the processing plant and the laboratory of the CPC is located 24 kilometers from Pakse in the district of Bachieng. CPC staff and seasonal workers receive coffee parchment from different groups so that it is husked, sorted and packaged for export there.

With the support of its main trading partner and the Fairtrade premium, the CPC owns a sensory analysis laboratory since 2010. A panel of professionals and skilled cuptasters conducts regular tests with the constant concern of improving the quality of the coffee produced by CPC members. The laboratory also includes a roasting unit for Champee coffee, which is sold on the domestic market.

With the support of the Asian Development Bank, ADB / ADB, the Cooperative has a training center since 2013 to accommodate the producers within the framework of capacity building activities.

As part of its Research & Development activities, CPC implemented in 2013 an experimental composting station on the grounds of the factory and laboratory.

HEADQUARTERS

Offices of the cooperative are located in an old colonial house at KM 2, on National Highway 13 south of Pakse, the capital of Southern Laos. It houses the technical, commercial, administrative and financial departments of the CPC.