BRAZIL

The state of Minas Gerais is responsible for more than 50% of Brazil’s coffee production. Fazenda Ecoagricola is located in the northern part of the state, a region known as Chapada de Minas. Here, the Serra do Cabral plateau rises at 1,100 meters above sea level.

The Flanzer family started cultivating this remote piece of land in the 1970s with forestry activities. In 2006, they began to cultivate coffee, being a pioneer in the region. The Ecoagricola farm is Rainforest AllianceTM certified and has achieved high sustainability standards over the years. It has natural reserves where wild animals can live freely. The Flanzer family also operates a native tree nursery, producing seedlings for its own forests. Their state-of-the-art coffee production system makes use of precision agriculture technologies to fertilize and irrigate the coffee fields. Because of this intensive and careful work, Ecoagricola has already achieved many awards, such as «Best Rainforest AllianceTM certified coffee of Brazil“ in 2017 and the first place of the Cup of Excellence Brazil 2019.

This coffee was processed using the special method of dry fermentation. For this, only very ripe cherries are harvested and carefully processed. First, they are kept in oxygen-poor tanks in the shade for one day. After this period of dry fermentation, the cherries are washed and dried on raised beds. After 30 days of homogenization in a dark environment at consistent temperature, the cherries are finally hulled. At Fazenda Ecoagricola, this method is called tropical fermentation, named after the specific fruity notes it creates.