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Overview
Sítio Santo Antônio, which is part of Fazenda Ressaca, is located in
the municipality of Piatã, Bahia. It began as a small farm with about 6,000
coffee trees, created in 1998 using an incentive from the Piatã Coffee Growers
Association (ASCAMP), which was founded to assist growers who had land but
did not have the resources to invest in it.
This was the case of Antônio Macedo Souza, a coffee grower who had inherited
this land with a small amount of coffee planted on it from his father but
had already given up cultivating it because of financial challenges.
The grower and his family decided to join the association and plant coffee
on their land. At great sacrifice, working even on week-ends, they have
managed build up their business to the point that it is their main source
of family income.
Today they invest wisely in their crops, economizing whenever possible.
The family members themselves do most of the work, hiring extra help only
during the harvest.
When he thinks about all the hard work he has done, Antônio Macedo Souza
is very proud of himself, because his small farm is now producing a coffee
that competes with the best in Brazil.
Coffee Processing System
Everything begins with proper preparation of the land, with annual soil
analysis getting the ground ready for the plants. Selective harvesting is
practiced and pulping is done daily. The pulped coffee is immediately taken
to the patio for drying, where it is raked 18 to 20 times a day.
After drying, the lots are numbered and stored separately in silos for
future sale.
Commitment to Quality
Antônio Macedo Souza seeks to invest in his property because he knows
that it is the course of his family’s sustenance. Focusing on quality, he
will always have an outstanding product to offer. For this reason, he is
constantly on the lookout for new technological developments, he takes advantage
of courses, conferences, lectures, travel opportunities, and other events
promoted by the Piatã Coffee Growers Association (ASCAMP), to which he belongs.
The Association is always looking for knowledge on the subject to share
with its members, constantly encouraging them to produce high-quality coffee.
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