Elias Santana and Maria Irene are children of coffee growers in the Cachoeirinha community of the Mantiqueira de Minas growing region of Brazil. They married in the 1990s and decided to continue together in the business of coffee. They bought their first piece of land in the community where they both grew up, and committed themselves to producing high quality coffees through the dedication and love for the work that they had learned from their families.
The couple are part of AMECAFÉ Mantiqueira (The Association of Coffee Women Entrepreneurs in Serra da Mantiqueira) and receive ongoing support from the association. AMECAFÉ was founded in 2017 and now includes 130 producers, providing professional development and other events for women producers in the region.
This lot of Red Catuai coffee underwent Natural processing. Catuai was developed 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.