Overview

Fazenda Cerrado Grande was inherited by the current owner, Raquel Ribeiro Aguiar Oliveira, from her father, Ronaldo de Castro Aguiar, a coffee grower in southern Minas Gerais since 1963. The cultivated area of this farm is approximately 120 hectares. Its altitude is above 1,000 meters and annual rainfall averages 1,500 mm.

The family lives exclusively from growing coffee and currently has the help of 18 regular staff, who currently produce about 15,000 bags of coffee a year on two properties. They seek to live in harmony with the environment. preserving the forests and streams. Most of the farm’s output is sold to specialty coffee buyers.

Coffee Processing System

In 60% of the planted area it is possible to mechanize the harvest. On the rest of the property, where the topography does not allow for the use of mechanical equipment, the crop is hand-picked, with the cherries collected on a cloth to keep them from touching the ground.

The newly harvested coffee is passed through the washer and then through the pulper. The naturally pulped cherries are then spread out in on an asphalt-covered clay patio and raked several times a day, following best quality practices, until the drying process is complete.

From the patio the dry coffee beans are taken to the holding barns, where they are kept for at least 30 days, after which they are processed and taken to the Fazenda Santo Antônio warehouse for analysis and preparation. They are then stored commercially at Armazéns Gerais Carapina.

Commitment to Quality

The farm is close to achieving certification under the “Certifica Minas” program, in which it has already attained the ranking of Silver and met 90.4% of the eligibility requirements. The goals of certification are to improve the production system, control and reduce production costs, promote the well-being of the producer and his family, and protect the environment.