Brazil
Montanhas do Espirito Santo
Rafael José Dalfior Junior
Sítio Dalfior
Red Catuai
Pulped Natural
June–October
Caramel, Orange, Spices, Vanilla
1010 meters
N/A
60 kg w/ GrainPro
SOLD OUT
Coffee producer Rafael José Dalfior Junior was born and raised in the Córrego da Prata community of Espírito Santo state. His parents founded their coffee farm, Sítio Dalfior, in the 1970s, and raised their six children there. Rafael Junior—called “Junior” by those close to him—spent time from an early age accompanying his father and learning to care for and manage the crops. Those early lessons included each step of production, helping Rafael Junior to understand planting, harvesting, and post-harvest processing on the farm.
Starting around 2008, Rafael Junior began a process of improving production management across his 1.5 hectares of coffee and introducing Pulped Natural processing into his work. Since implementing these changes, he has been able to achieve better quality in his results.
Today, Rafael Junior and his wife, Erica Denadai, work together in the operations at Sítio Dalfior. They continue in their search for high quality results by applying good practices like selective harvest of the cherries, and drying their coffee on a suspended and covered terrace.
This lot of Red Catuai coffee underwent Pulped 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.
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 Espírito 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 Espírito Santo state, where mild temperatures (73ºF) and steep highlands (between 700 and 1,000 meters) favor growing Arabica coffees, this region produces a superb quality coffee with a round body, nice acidity, and fine sweetness. While the most common process for the region is Natural, Pulped Naturals are increasing in popularity due to a program of quality launched in the 1980’s that included improvements in equipment necessary for this newer style of processing.
The state of Espírito Santo has its capital in the city of Vitoria, and the coastal location of Espírito 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 diversity of flora and fauna. Many communities in the mountains of Espírito 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.
