That said, many of the people here have gentle, kind hearts.

When you visit a coffee origin, you get to learn the history of the country and the circumstances that push people to do things to escape poverty.

It is under these circumstances that coffee producers are working hard to grow, harvest, and process coffee despite all the difficulties and keep their farms up and running, though they have yet to get what their coffee is truly worth. I deeply feel the need to live up to their efforts.

Seen from an overall perspective, what we roasters can do might just be about the size of a single atom.

But there are probably more people than decades ago who take the initiative to support coffee farms. To protect coffee, the world’s No.1 beverage, if consumers, in addition to sellers, do more to learn about coffee, it will help enrich the lives of many people working in farms little by little.

I’ve been to coffee origins a few times in the past. But this is my first time to visit South America. After three stopovers spanning two days, we finally landed in Bolivia.

I came down with altitude sickness as soon as we got to an airport in La Paz, located over 4,000 meters high. After a drive that took us more than 3,000 meters downhill, we arrived at a village in Taipiplaya, home to coffee farms.

This is unlike any of my previous farm visits. This is the beginning of a stimulating visit, both on the mind and the body, to a coffee origin in a remote corner of the world.