BRAZIL ORIGIN TRIP
DAY 1
COCARIVE PRESENTATION & SAO BENEDITO
Our first ‘proper’ day’s work kicked off with a fascinating presentation by Baba at Cocarive HQ. Founded in 1961, Cocarive has become synonymous with the highest quality specialty coffee Brazil has to offer. Located in the slopes of the Serra da Mantiqueira, a particularly mountainous area of Brazilian coffee production, the coop’s 661 members produce around 150,000 60kg bags of coffee a year. To put that in context, the whole of Brazil produces around 60million 60kg bags. So Cocarive is small, but mighty, in part due to its staggering award winning members- they’ve amassed over 350 awards in the Cup of Excellence.
We learnt lots about different coffee varieties, and colours, grown in the region. Coffee cherries are by default red. However Cocarive commissioned a study looking at the differences in photosynthesis both red and yellow varieties generate. They found that yellow varieties were more able to deal with the Brazilian sun as they photosynthesized slower, in part leading to higher sweetness and more complexity in the cup. One of Baba’s many missions is to increase the percentage of yellow varieties growing in the region.
For lunch, we headed back to Sao Lourenco for what was to become our daily buffet at the kilo restaurant. You fill up your plate and then pop it on the scales, and pay by weight. These hearty lunches definitely helped with the caffeine jitters, and fueled us for the afternoon farm visits…
In the afternoon, we visited our first farm- the prestigious Rancho Sao Benedito. Marcio is a 5th generation coffee farmer, with his 98 year old mother Mariana still deciding each year which area of the farm is harvested first. He met us at his farmhouse, where the walls were covered in framed awards, and brewed us up one of his delicious coffees roasted at home on his little hand roaster. We got back in the trucks and drove up winding tracks, high up to a beautiful viewing platform. Breathtaking views and informative chats about harvest, pickers, struggles with climate, proved an inspiring and thought provoking afternoon. We finished back down near the farmhouse at the dry mill and patio, where they’d had a busy day milling and drying lots, visited by our first toucans on nearby trees.
DAY 2
SITIO DA TORRE
Alvaro and Gustavo, what a father and son team! We had an inspiring afternoon at their farm, Sitio da Torre, where the mix of Alvaro’s experience and Gustavo’s passion for innovative processing is a potent blend. At the top of the farm, with a stunning view down to the dry mill nestled at the bottom of the valley, we chatted about unique varietals (including gesha and obata- interestingly Gustavo was saying although there’s demand for gesha, the quality isn’t the best). Gustavo pointed at newly acquired land, where lines of banana plants would help shelter the soon to be planted coffee trees from strong winds.
We piled back in the trucks and headed down to the mill, seeing the day’s harvest being sorted and depulped. The patios were also full of both natural and pulped natural processed cherries. Gustavo explained how they’ll control the speed of fermentation by either spreading the cherries out in a single layer (quicker drying) or piling up (slower drying). He even brewed us up a delicious hydro honey, exclusively processed for a local roastery, in yet another trophy laden farm office.
And the best was yet to come- we were treated to a delicious BBQ and plenty of Alvaro’s favourite cachaca (sugarcane spirit) at their farmhouse. The rest of the family joined for an unforgettable evening as we celebrated new friendships. Look out for a stunning yellow bourbon pumped natural we purchased whilst out there - hopefully the first of many of Alvaro and Gustavo’s coffees to grace our menu in the coming years.
DAY 3
BAIXADAO & SERTAOZINHO
Our busiest day of the week included two farm visits. First to the breathtaking Baixadao, where son Elison has taken over coffee production from father Sebastio- who now focuses solely on cattle! Cow- 6k. Elison is concentrating on regenerative agriculture, and the leaves of his coffee plants were noticeably shinier and healthier than any we’d seen. He also plants sunflowers and other plants in between the coffee trees, to improve soil health
We were treated to the best pao de queso, along with local cheese and cakes from Sebastio’s brother’s bakery- a truly family affair, as Elsion’s baby even rode shotgun in the pickup with us!
Next, the big one…Seratozinho!
Driving up through the small and colourful houses of Sertaozinho, I could feel the emotion building. It was the moment of the week I’d really been looking forward to- the chance to meet the producers of our main house coffee.
As we drove slowly through the village, we passed the shared front gardens, car parks, and patios being used to dry coffee. For me the most special part of Sertaozinho is that coffee is grown, harvested and processed collectively. Coffee farming neighbours, numbering about 90, with an average of only 2 to 3 hectares of land, come together to help each other out. In stark contrast to the bigger farms we’d visited, this only added to the sense of magic.
We arrived and parked up right on Paulinho and Marcio’s shared patio, their houses separated by a couple of metres of drying coffee. Paulinho is one of the figure heads of the village, and his daughter Maria runs Ascarive (Cocarive’s fair trade sister company). Probably the most memorable moment of our week in Brazil was sitting on their patio, hearing stories from Paulinho and his wife. Of how they were the first in the area to plant coffee trees more than 45 years ago; the struggles with many of the younger generation leaving for the city; and their hope for the future, led by Maria and their other two coffee producing daughters. Their warmth and honesty (despite the language barrier!) and especially Marcio’s cheeky smiles, filled the air, as Paulinho led us off to the nearby coffee growing under banana trees.
An almost other worldly feeling took over as we walked under huge banana plants and their alien seed pods, with the village glinting below under the early evening moon. We learnt how often Paulinho’s highest quality coffees come from banana areas. The shade provided by the bananas means the coffee cherries mature slower, which equates to more sweetness and complexity. This seemed to be a theme of the week. Slower maturation when growing, slower drying when processing = more sweetness, more complexity. Really good coffee takes time.
As we meandered back down to the village, I was overcome with immense appreciation for the work of Paulinho and Marcio, of Maria and Dulcilene and Liliane, to name but a few. What a unique setting for Brazilian coffee- small scale, collectively farmed. What a privilege to work with people like this!
DAY 4
FAZENDA COQUEIRO & FAZENDA ONDAS
Our last day of cuppings and farm visits saw us visit Fazenda Coqueiro and Fazenda Ondas. Coqueiero- just a short drive from our base in Sao Lourenco we had just enough time to stop by local roasting legends Uniques at their roastery cafe (built 2018). We all shared a couple of pourovers and espressos. It was a cool space, the perfect blend of industrial cafe roastery, while being friendly and accessible. A similar feel to some cafes back home!
Next up… What felt like a pretty rugged off-road adventure meandering up the tracks to the top of the hill, we reached the view point at Fazenda Coquiero and were met by owner Jonatas- Family owned by the Carneiro family for over 40 years we were once again greeted by stunning views of the slopes, coffee growing for miles around, could it be our best view yet? We also met part owner of the neighboring farm Ondas, Cadu, who kindly greeted us with coffee and these sweet peanutty treats (delicious). After our refreshments, and Mark from Method losing his drone… we headed back down to Ondas which immediately felt REALLY impressive… Just the scale and infrastructure felt like nothing we had seen previously.
Under new ownership and with a very capable team around them Ondas have quickly transformed into what looks set to be one of the biggest farms around. We heard how they had planted 100 hectares this year so far, with another 100 due to be planted in October. Certainly one to watch in future years. We finished the evening in the farm house with another lovely meal, wine and cheese from neighbouring farms - even Alvaro (from Sitio Da Torre) turned up with the Cacacha!! A perfect end to the week.
To finish up - Meeting the people who actually grow your coffee is very special, quite emotional and takes a while to process. We’re still clinging on to the memories, the voices, smells and tastes. As those begin to fade we are faced with the task of honoring these producers and telling the story of where your coffee comes from. This part of Brazil is very special and these are relationships we look forward to growing for many more years to come.
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Huge thanks to Jack at DR Wakefield for arranging the trip, Baba and team at Cocarive for hosting us and our fellow UK roasters who came along for the journey! Until next time. Brigadao!
