Farm Histroy

The owner of Fazenda Santa Rita is Mr. Cláudio Junqueira Ferraz de Almeida, from the civil construction industry and a rural producer, involved in producing high quality coffees.

In 2001, he acquired the property for coffee production and to raise cattle, expanded the coffee plantation areas and invested in equipment required to treat coffee after harvesting, such as: coffee washer, coffee drier. When he acquired the new properties, he expanded the coffee growing area and invested in the equipment required to process coffee during the post-harvesting phase, such as: coffee washer, coffee pulper, coffee drier, patios in concrete to dry the product, bins for the coffee to rest and for storage and final processing equipment.

The property is located in a region with mild climate, with annual rainfalls of approximately 1,700 mm and at an altitude between 900 and 1,750 meters.

With the farm's favorable fertile soil, climatic and topographic conditions for coffee growing, with the assistance of an agronomist, new nursery trees were planted of several varieties. Fazenda Santa Rita is managed by the owner's cousin, César Augusto Ferraz Junqueira, who is also an agricultural and livestock producer, and has the technical assistance of Cocarive agronomists to monitor its plantations.

Nursery trees were planted respecting the contour lines of the topography, to preserve the soil. In addition to coffee growing, the farm has corn plantations.

There are environmental preservation areas, where one can find native plants and wild animals. The riparian woods, water sources and creeks of the property are protected and audited on an annual basis by the certifying organizations.

The farm has fifty-eight (58) employees, registered according to Brazilian employment and labor laws, a number that increases at harvesting time. Workers have their own houses, receive medical care and have a leisure area. Their children are sent to a public school of the municipality.

The property is easily reachable, and is at 12 Km distance from the city of Carmo de Minas, on Highway BR-460.

Coffee processing system

Coffee is manually and selectively picked on cloth because of the topography of the terrain. Beans do not touch the soil. After the coffee is picked, on the same day it is sent to the mechanical washer, which operates with drinking water. The water used in the washers and pulpers is recycled in decantation tanks, to protect the environment. Subsequently, the cherry beans are taken to the concrete patios to dry and are distributed in thin layers not to lose their quality. Concerned with producing quality coffees, drying is carefully and slowly made under the sun. After it reaches the ideal point, the coffee is transferred to bins to rest. The bins are made of and lined with wood; coffees rest for 30 days.

After their resting period, the lots undergo final processing, are bagged and stocked at the Cocarive Cooperative, in Carmo de Minas, until they are commercialized.

Concern with quality

Plantations are sustainably managed, in order to leave for the next generations an environment equal or better than what they have today. The owners are concerned with quality since the moment they choose and plant the nursery trees, selecting the best ones and the best land, in order to produce soft-sweet specialty coffees with good body.

Fazenda Santa Rita's goal is to constantly improve the quality of its coffees, taking part in meetings, lectures and talks, being certified, and visiting other properties to learn about new technologies to improve quality.

Its constant concern with quality was awarded in 2005 with the 1st Place in the 2nd Brazil Natural Coffees Quality Contest.