Very sweet with a satiny mouthfeel, we’re tasting honey, white chocolate and nougat alongside fruity notes of cherry and pear.
The Producers
Marco Antonio Guardabaxo is not only the coffee grower at Fazenda Pinheiro, where this lot hails from, but also at Fazenda São Domingos, which is the estate from which we’ve been sourcing the base note component for our house blend, Article, for two years now. Working alongside Maria Silva with whom Marco purchased the farm in 2003 (from Ruben Pinheiro) they have been developing the farm to specialise in producing high quality coffees in an ecologically sound fashion. They undertake some remarkable practices that truly run against the grain of a lot of coffee production, especially in Brazil.
The Farm & Their Approach
Around 140 hectares are planted out with coffee on Fazenda Pinheiro, which spans 390 hectares. 100 hectares are left as a dedicated nature reserve, and the couple are integrating their pig rearing business on the farm as well, creating natural fertilisers for the other crops grown. After taking over in 2003, with very little coffee being produced on the farmland, they initially planted around 10 hectares in 2007, and have since expanded this and massively developed the coffee program, including the introduction of Acaiá, Mundo Novo, Catuaí, Catucai, Obatã, Arara, Geisha, Rubi, Laurina and Pacamara cultivars.
The young coffee trees, under 6 years, and those that are over 1.5 metres in height are manually harvested, with the more regimented groupings on the flatter parts of the farm harvesting mechanically in multiple passes. Alongside coffee they grow eucalyptus, avocadoes and various citrus fruits, with pigs and cattle reared here as well. They collect rainwater and have a drip-irrigation system in place for the coffee trees to promote consistent development of the coffee cherries and more predictable ripening patterns.
Through their partnership with Ocafi the farm is working towards implementing an agro-forestry system. Through increasing our purchasing volumes of various Brazil lots with Ocafi this year we have been able to fund the planting of 90 native trees on Fazenda Pinheiro as part of their Mata Atlãntica Project. Overall they have planted 2,000 native trees last year which will maintain local flora and fauna as well as improve soil quality and promote biodiversity. The farmland is home to wild deers, coati, toucans and Seriema birds. They do not see this process as ‘reforestation’ as rather than replenishing a historically devastated area they are expanding their regional wildlife and bolstering their dedicated nature reserves.
As well as a Rainforest Alliance certification the farm is energy neutral as they produce their own energy and biogas. The animals reared on the farmland produce organic fertilisers for the coffee trees on Fazenda Pinheiro and neighbouring coffee farms. Marco and Maria have several family members involved in the work being undertaken at Fazenda Pinheiro, as well as the farm managers and their families who live on the estate. 35 additional seasonal workers are employed during harvest time.
We are feeling truly inspired and excited by the Brazilian coffees that we’re sourcing via Ocafi and excited to share them with you.
