Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative Cafe

Updated June 11, 2025

## Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative Cafe: Farm-to-Cup on Laos’ Coffee Plateau

On the road between Pakse and Paksong in Champasak province, Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative Cafe (often called Lak 40 after the nearby village) is one of the most interesting coffee stops in Southern Laos. It’s not just a scenic café: it’s a working plantation run by a farmers’ cooperative that helped put Lao coffee on the international map. Rated

This guide walks you through what to expect at the café, how it ties into the wider Bolaven Plateau coffee story, and how to visit in a way that supports local communities and the environment.

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## Where You Are: Lak 40 on the Bolaven Plateau

– Location: Along the Pakse–Paksong road in Champasak province, Southern Laos Rated
– Nearest hubs:
– Pakse – the main gateway city for Southern Laos and a key transport and trade node with Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam
– Paksong – widely known as the coffee capital of Laos, on the Bolaven Plateau at higher elevation
– Landscape context:
– The Bolaven Plateau is a volcanic tableland that produces the vast majority of Laos’ coffee.
– Cool temperatures, fertile volcanic soil and plentiful rainfall make it ideal for Arabica and high-altitude Robusta coffee. Exotic Bean

Stopping at Lak 40 gives you a direct look at the smallholder-driven coffee economy that underpins this whole region.

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## The Cooperative Behind the Café

The café is operated by the Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative (CPC), a farmer-owned organization created in 2007 with support from the Lao government and the French Development Agency.

Key facts about CPC:

– Farmer-owned: Around 1,855 coffee-growing households in 55 villages on the Bolaven Plateau are members.
– Mission: Improve market access and prices for small-scale farmers who were previously dependent on local traders and low farm-gate prices.
– Processing infrastructure:
– Wet-processing stations in member villages, where red coffee cherries are pulped and washed shortly after harvest to protect flavor.
– A central plant and laboratory about 24 km from Pakse, with capacity to process roughly 20 tons of green coffee per day.
– Quality & certification: CPC works with international partners to export organic, Fairtrade-certified Lao coffee, including specialty lots.

By the time you sit down with a cappuccino at Lak 40, you’re tasting coffee that has moved through this cooperative system – from smallholder farm to washing station, to mill, to roastery.

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## What to Expect at Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative Cafe

### Atmosphere & Setting

Visitor reviews consistently highlight Lak 40 as:

– Serene and peaceful, with a relaxing garden-like setting right beside a working plantation.
– A place where you can wander among coffee and tea plants, with some signage explaining the different stages of growth and processing. Rated
– A casual stop where you can park a scooter or bike outside and take your time over a drink.

Some visitors also mention large bamboo stands and “curious plants” around the grounds, which makes it feel more like a garden than a typical roadside café. Rated

As of late-2025, aggregated reviews place the café at around 4.5/5 from 400+ ratings, which indicates consistent guest satisfaction. Ratings can change over time, so it’s worth checking a recent map or review app before you go.

### Coffee & Drinks

Based on recent traveler feedback:

– The café serves high-quality Lao coffee, both hot and iced, with visitors singling out its cappuccinos as better than many options in Pakse.
– There’s typically a broad coffee and tea menu, including local varieties and several specialty drinks; one example mentioned by name is a coconut Americano-style coffee. Rated
– Fresh fruit and simple sweet snacks are often available alongside drinks. Rated
– Some reviews note that oat-milk cappuccinos have been offered, which is helpful for visitors who avoid dairy. Rated

Prices mentioned in traveler posts suggest drinks are affordably priced by international standards, with at least one visitor describing a top-tier coffee here costing under one British pound at the time of their trip; exact prices will vary with exchange rates and time.

Staff are frequently described as friendly and welcoming, with varying levels of English; it’s useful to have patience, a translation app, or a few phrases ready in Lao.

### Walking the Plantation

A major reason to stop at Lak 40 instead of a random roadside café is the chance to see coffee and tea production up close:

– You can walk independently around the plantation, following paths and basic informational signs that explain how coffee cherries grow, are harvested, and processed. Rated
– Visitors mention seeing multiple varieties of coffee trees and watching parts of the processing and drying stages depending on the season. Rated
– In some cases, guided explanations are available, but this can depend on staffing and language on the day. Rated

This “bean-to-cup” walk is especially useful if you’ve only ever encountered coffee in a supermarket bag or at a city espresso bar.

### Buying Coffee Directly from the Source

The cooperative uses the café and its head office in Pakse as key points for selling its beans directly:

– You can usually buy roasted beans or ground coffee in different styles (Arabica, Robusta, blends), often in 500-gram bags.
– Because you’re buying at source from the cooperative, more of the value stays with smallholder producers than when coffee is traded through multiple middle-steps.

Packaging and stock do change, so treat any specific bag sizes or varieties as examples rather than guarantees.

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## How the Café Fits into Bolaven Plateau Coffee Tourism

### Coffee Tours with CPC

Beyond the café, CPC organizes structured coffee tours on the Bolaven Plateau that combine plantation visits, processing demonstrations, and time in local villages.

According to regional tourism boards and official partners:

– CPC’s one-day tour typically includes picking cherries with farmers, seeing the wet-processing and dry-mill stages, having lunch in a traditional stilt house, and finishing with a cupping session at the cooperative’s laboratory.
– Tours are often scheduled on specific days (historically Tuesdays and Thursdays) during the coffee harvest season from roughly November to March.

Those schedules were published between 2018 and the early-2020s; seasons, days and pricing can change, so it’s important to confirm current details directly with CPC via their official website or contact information before planning around a specific tour.

### Linking Café, Waterfalls and the Wider Plateau

Many itineraries for Southern Laos combine Lak 40 with classic Bolaven Plateau stops:

– Organized routes frequently pair the café with Tad Fane, Tad Yuang, Tad Champee and Pha Suam waterfalls, all reachable via the highland roads from Pakse.
– Travel planners often structure a day trip from Pakse that runs: city → Bolaven Highlands → coffee plantation stop → waterfalls → back to Pakse in the evening. Journeys

Bolaven Plateau also intersects with Dong Hua Sao National Park, a large protected area that rises from Mekong lowlands into plateau forests. Coffee cultivation, conservation and community livelihoods are closely linked here, and the park’s official documentation notes both ecotourism potential and environmental pressures from expanding plantations.

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## Practical Tips for Visiting (With an Eye on Impact)

Because most detailed data comes from traveler reports and official sources published between roughly 2018 and 2025, treat the points below as general guidance, not fixed rules:

### Getting There

– Lak 40 lies on the main road between Pakse and Paksong, often visited by people renting scooters or cars for a Bolaven loop. Rated
– Local blogs highlight Miss Noy Motorbike in Pakse as a common rental base for exploring the plateau; as always, check licensing, insurance, and current safety conditions on site.

Road conditions can vary with the rainy season, and there may be potholes and wet patches; current travelers’ reports are your best reality check before riding.

### Opening Hours & Seasonality

– Review aggregators list typical café hours, but there can be seasonal or day-to-day changes, especially in rural areas. Rated
– Coffee-related activities are most active during harvest season (roughly November–March), when cherries are ripe and processing stations are running; outside that window, the plantation is still scenic, but there may be less to see in terms of production.

It’s wise to check a recent map listing or contact CPC directly before heading out, particularly if you’re timing your visit around a specific tour or activity.

### Inclusivity & Respectful Travel

The Bolaven Plateau is home to multiple ethnic minority communities, many of whom rely on coffee and vegetable crops for their livelihoods.

A few simple choices help keep your visit positive:

– Treat the plantation and surrounding villages as working landscapes, not theme parks. Ask before photographing people, and avoid entering areas that are clearly private or signed as off-limits.
– When possible, buy coffee and tea directly from producers or their cooperatives, which keeps a larger share of value in local hands.
– Be mindful of litter, water use and noise, especially if you’re arriving in a group or by motorbike.

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## Is Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative Cafe Worth a Stop?

If you’re traveling through Southern Laos and have even a passing interest in coffee, Lak 40 is one of the strongest single stops you can make on the Bolaven Plateau.

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Bolaven Plateau Coffee Producers Cooperative Cafe

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