About This Coffee
Antonio Coli arrived in Brazil in the 1800s. His search for a better life is realized in the Silva family, his 4th generation descendants who continue Antonio’s legacy of coffee production, now on 95 hectares of land.
Since they began focusing on specialty production in 2002, Sítio da Torre has placed in the Brazilian Cup of Excellence 29 times. Despite their great success, they continue to improve their cultivation and processing methods, producing ever-better coffees.
Cultivation
Located in the Mantiqueira de Minas region, the high elevation, fertile soil and well-defined seasons create the ideal environment for cultivating dense, sweet cherry. Sitio da Torre also holds the Denomination of Origin seal, that guarantees the quality and the origin of this lot.
They receive agronomic support from COCARIVE (Cooperativa Regional dos Cafeicultores do Vale do Rio Verde). The Silva family cultivates Yellow Bourbon, Red Bourbon, Yellow Catucai, Yellow Catuai and Acaia varieties on Sítio da Torre.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Unusually for Brazil, cherry is selectively handpicked at Sítio da Torre. Cherry is delivered to the farm’s processing center. After harvest, cherry is laid to dry in thin layers on patios. Under direct sunlight, cherry is carefully monitored and turned frequently. Once dry, cherry rests on the farm before being transported to COCARIVE’s warehouse where it is prepared for export.
About COCARIVE
Sucafina has partnered with COCARIVE since 2015.
COCARIVE gives support to its members in all parts of the production chain. Their team of agronomists and technical experts assists with cultivation techniques, machinery, storage and finally commercialization of the beans.
Once parchment is dry, cooperative members send their coffee to the COCARIVE warehouses. The cooperative takes care of grading, commercialization and export. They have their own quality lab and storage and milling facilities in Carmo de Minas.
At the dry mill, where they prepare the coffee for export, COCARIVE has its own laboratory for quality control. Their team of trained cuppers and Q graders makes the first selection based on cup quality. They will verify which lots are suitable and of high enough cup quality for specialty microlots. Their quality control team checks the quality of every lot at a variety of times throughout the dry milling process analyzing both physical green and cup characteristics.
All COCARIVE member farms have the Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) certificate. On top of that, they are all certified by the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA). This certificate is a guarantee from BSCA that every aspect of labor at the farm is legal. It also guarantees the implementation of environmentally friendly practices on the farm during all steps of the coffee production process.
Coffee in Brazil
Just under 40% of all coffee in the world is produced in Brazil - around 3.7 million metric tons annually. With so much coffee produced, it’s no wonder that the country produces a wide range of qualities. Brazil produces everything from natural Robusta, to the neutral and mild Santos screen 17/18, to the distinctive Rio Minas 17/18. In recent years, Brazilian producers have also begun investing more heavily in specialty coffee production. Through our in-country partners in Brazil, including our sister company, we are able to provide a wide range of Brazilian coffees to our clients: from macrolot to microlot.
Today, the most prolific coffee growing regions of Brazil are Espirito Santo, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia. Most Brazilian coffee is grown on large farms that are built and equipped for maximizing production output through mechanical harvesting and processing. The relatively flat landscape across many of Brazil’s coffee regions combined with high minimum wages has led most farms to opt for this type of mechanical harvesting over selective hand-picking.
In the past, mechanization meant that strip-picking was the norm; however, today’s mechanical harvesters are increasingly sensitive, meaning that farms can harvest only fully ripe cherries at each pass, which is good news for specialty-oriented producers.
In many cases and on less level sections of farms, a mixed form of ‘manual mechanized’ harvesting may be used, where ripe coffee is picked using a derriçadeira – a sort of mechanized rake that uses vibration to harvest ripe cherry. A tarp is spanned between coffee trees to capture the cherry as it falls.
With the aid of these newer, more selective technologies, there’s a growing number of farms who are increasingly concerned with – and able to deliver - cup quality.