Brazil
Montanhas do Espirito Santo
Mário José Zardo
Sítio Sesconetto
Red Catucai
Pulped Natural
June–August
Cherry, Pear Cider, Nougat, Chocolate
1050 meters
N/A
60 kg w/ GrainPro
SOLD OUT
Mário José Zardo is a third generation coffee producer living in the Alto Caxixe community in the Montanhas do Espírito Santo region of Brazil. The Zardo family’s passion for coffee farming begins with Mário José’s grandfather, Honorio Zardo, who originally began farming in the city of Pindobas. When Honorio decided to uproot and move to another region in 1970, one of his eleven children, José Zardo, Mário José’s father, decided to remain in Espírito Santo and follow his passion for coffee farming.
José Zardo settled in the community of Caxixe, eventually caring for 20,000 coffee trees. This is where Mário José was born and raised, learning all about coffee cultivation from his father. It was through Mário José’s inspiration that his father began depulping coffee in 2004, seeking added quality and value. In 2010, Mário José would take responsibility for 24,000 coffee trees of his own.
In 2014, Mário José married Lucinéia Cesconetto. He went on to open his own coffee roaster, and began planting coffee with his father-in-law. Today, Sítio Sesconetto’s coffee production covers 3 hectares, yielding 150 bags of coffee annually. His motivation is still in seeking out quality improvements for his crops, hoping to produce the best coffee possible.
This lot of Red Catucai underwent Pulped 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 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.
