Brazil
Montanhas do Espirito Santo
Valdinei Mansk
Sítio Alto Santa Joana
Yellow Catuai
Pulped Natural
June–August
Brown Sugar, Dark Chocolate, Cherry
1040 meters
N/A
60 kg w/ GrainPro
SOLD OUT
Sítio Alto Santa Joana can be found almost halfway between Afonso Claudio and Santa Maria de Jetibá in the Espírito Santo region of Brazil. Producer Valdinei Mansk works on the farm with his father, Valdir Mansk, carrying on the family business in agriculture. Valdinei is part of the fourth generation of his family to work on Sítio Alto Santa Joana, where his great-grandfather, Germano Mansk, began production. Today, the property covers 19 hectares in total, with eight hectares dedicated to coffee production.
Valdinei’s father began investing in production improvements in the 2010s and his first quality investment was the acquisition of a small depulper. Valdinei adheres to the family’s standards for producing quality coffee, which include harvesting only ripe cherries and monitoring the coffee drying on the patio so they do not over-ferment.
Farming remains a family business with Valdinei’s parents, Valdir and Irinea, as well as his brothers, Thiago and Gilberto, sharing in the work. In 2020 they installed a micro roaster on the property to continue developing their passion and knowledge in specialty coffee.
This lot of Yellow Catuai coffee underwent Pulped Natural processing. Catuai was made by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas, Brazil by crossing Mundo Novo and Caturra varieties. Catuai coffees are cultivated widely across Brazil, and are known for their high productivity potential.
The Montanhas do Espírito Santo region is dominated by small-scale coffee growers and is characterized by the presence of farmers who are actively engaged in the entire chain of the production process. Growers in Espirito Santo work with family members and build off of traditional knowledge to innovate and improve their quality of life and coffee. Located in the southern area of the Espirito Santo state, where mild temperatures (73ºF) and steep highlands (between 700 and 1000 meters) favor growing Arabica coffees, this region produces a superb quality coffee with a round body, nice acidity, and fine sweetness. Pulped Naturals are increasing in popularity as a processing style to capture the attributes of the region’s coffee.
The state of Espirito Santo has its capital in the city of Vitoria, and the coastal location of Espirito Santo to the south of Bahia, east of Minas Gerais, and north of Rio de Janeiro makes it a popular destination for its beaches. Inland, Espirito Santo is home to natural parks and preserves that protect the rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. Many communities in the mountains of Espirito Santo were settled at the beginning of the twentieth century by European immigrants from Italy and the Pomeranian region along the Baltic Sea coast, straddling the border between what are now Germany and Poland.
