Brazil
Cerrado Mineiro
Marcio Borges Castro Alves
Fazenda Barinas
Catucai
Natural
June–August
Baked Apple, Hazelnut, Honey
1025 meters
N/A
60 kg w/ GrainPro
EU - Hamburg, Germany - Schwarze
Marcio Borges Castro Alves’ family history in coffee began in 1950 when his father, Alberto Castro Alves, began planting coffee on the 1000 hectare Fazenda Barinas in Araxá, Minas Gerais. With his vision as a farmer and economist, he established criteria for the farm such as diversification, integration, professionalism, and strategic partnership, upon which the operation still runs today.
The farm experienced a strong frost in 1975, destroying the coffee crops across the property. However, the family’s dedication to the work and their passion for the crop pushed them to reestablish the plantation, making Fazenda Barinas reborn into the flourishing farm it is today. Now, Marcio carries on the family legacy, growing coffee with the same dedication and passion that kept the farm going all those years ago.
This lot of Catucai underwent Natural processing. Catucai was developed as a cross between Icatu and Catuai. The first selection was made in 1988 by researchers at the then Brazilian Coffee Institute (IBC) in a population of the Red Icatu cultivar. After generations of breeding and selection in both Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, the program gave rise to cultivars with red fruits and yellow fruits, then named Catucai.
The Cerrado Mineiro region, located in northwest of Minas Gerais State, is a world-recognized, high-quality coffee producing origin and became the first Protected Geographical Indication in Brazil in 2005, with full Designation of Origin in 2013. A strong characteristic of this region is its well-defined seasons—a hot, wet summer followed by a pleasantly dry winter. The dry climate during harvest eliminates potential problems with humidity during the drying process.
Minas Gerais is Brazil’s principal agricultural state, and the Cerrado is home to many of the country’s celebrated coffee estates, with expertise in planting, harvesting, drying, and sorting. We love Cerrado coffees for their big body, rich chocolate notes, and velvety texture when pulled as espresso.
Today, the area’s 4,500 farmers produce a combined average of 6 million bags per harvest, with an average of 35 bags per hectare. To reach these production levels, producers had to first adapt to the region’s conditions. Coffee farmers first arrived in Cerrado in the 1970’s, after being pushed out of the state of Parana by frost and out of the state of Sao Paulo by nematodes. They found the soil in Cerrado to be very acidic, which they rectified with the application of calcium to create the healthy soils they enjoy today.
Cerrado coffee farms are cultivated in areas with elevations varying between 800 and 1,300 meters above sea level and are known for consistently producing high quality coffees with a repeatable profile. Independent of farm size, the spirit of professionalism is present throughout Cerrado’s coffee producers. Entrepreneurialism is part of farmers’ DNA, and many producers are second or third generation growers who also hold degrees in agronomic engineering, business management, and administration. While each family narrative is different, Cerrado is characterized by an enterprising attitude.
