Under Brazilian law, coffee farms must allocate a certain percentage of their land to permanent natural forest reserves. Located in Araxa in the state of Minas Gerais it is one of the biggest farms in Brazil – with a total size of 5300 hectares.
The farm was established in 1998 by ‘AC Café’ which is a family run business with a background in farming coffee, cattle and sheep. In 2011, they decided to separate the three arms of their business in order to improve the quality of product produced. There are now two agronomists looking after this farm, Piccian and Willem, who oversee all aspects of production.
The wet mill based on site is brand new and can separate beans into 7 stages of maturation. Santa Lucia also uses two mechanical pickers, which are the only ones of their kind in the country. They are of French design and are used for olives and grapes as they are more efficient and are kinder to the trees, working on gentle shaking rather than the mechanical metal fingers seen elsewhere. These machines also mean less cherries drop to the floor which dramatically reduces the risk of Brocca (the small beetle which lays its eggs inside coffee cherries).
Once the cherries have been machine picked they are taken to the wet mill where they are processed according to maturation – e.g pulped natural or natural. There are 20 mechanical dryers on the farm and 96 silos to store the coffee. Coffee is dried on the patio for 24/30 hours before being put into a mechanical dryer for around 12 hours at 40 degrees Celsius. The coffee is then cupped from each dryer by the quality control team who separate it into
lots based on this assessment.
The Co2 decaf process was first discovered in 1967 by a scientist called Kurt Zosel. In 1988, a German decaffeination company developed this process for decaffeination whereby natural carbon dioxide (which comes from prehistoric underground lakes) is combined with water to create ‘sub-critical’ conditions which creates a highly solvent substance for caffeine in coffee. It is a gentle, natural and organically certified process and the good caffeine selectivity of the carbon dioxide guarantees a high retention level of other coffee components which contribute to taste and aroma.
The farm was established in 1998 by ‘AC Café’ which is a family run business with a background in farming coffee, cattle and sheep. In 2011, they decided to separate the three arms of their business in order to improve the quality of product produced. There are now two agronomists looking after this farm, Piccian and Willem, who oversee all aspects of production.
The wet mill based on site is brand new and can separate beans into 7 stages of maturation. Santa Lucia also uses two mechanical pickers, which are the only ones of their kind in the country. They are of French design and are used for olives and grapes as they are more efficient and are kinder to the trees, working on gentle shaking rather than the mechanical metal fingers seen elsewhere. These machines also mean less cherries drop to the floor which dramatically reduces the risk of Brocca (the small beetle which lays its eggs inside coffee cherries).
Once the cherries have been machine picked they are taken to the wet mill where they are processed according to maturation – e.g pulped natural or natural. There are 20 mechanical dryers on the farm and 96 silos to store the coffee. Coffee is dried on the patio for 24/30 hours before being put into a mechanical dryer for around 12 hours at 40 degrees Celsius. The coffee is then cupped from each dryer by the quality control team who separate it into
lots based on this assessment.
The Co2 decaf process was first discovered in 1967 by a scientist called Kurt Zosel. In 1988, a German decaffeination company developed this process for decaffeination whereby natural carbon dioxide (which comes from prehistoric underground lakes) is combined with water to create ‘sub-critical’ conditions which creates a highly solvent substance for caffeine in coffee. It is a gentle, natural and organically certified process and the good caffeine selectivity of the carbon dioxide guarantees a high retention level of other coffee components which contribute to taste and aroma.
Altitude: 900-1200 Metres
Great for: Aeropress, Cafetiere, Espresso, Filter, Milky, With milk
Origin: South America/Brazil
Process Method: Natural (Dry)
Type: Decaffeinated
Varietals: Red Catuai
Great for: Aeropress, Cafetiere, Espresso, Filter, Milky, With milk
Origin: South America/Brazil
Process Method: Natural (Dry)
Type: Decaffeinated
Varietals: Red Catuai