Agrosol Agropecuaria Sol Ltda - Fazenda Sol do Paraguassú

Brazil Specialty Coffee Association

Winning farm of the Brazil Cup of Excellence
Competition and Auction - 2001 edition

Agrosol Agropecuaria Sol Ltda
Fazenda Sol do Paraguassú

Characteristics of the coffee lot:

Processing System: Pulped Natural
The winning lot is a result of several
plantations of the Catuai variety.
Variety: Catuai
Lot size: 22 bags
Average score: 84.06

Characteristics of the farm:

Property: Fazenda Sol do Paraguassú
E-mail: agrosol@agrosol-ba.com.br
Location: Fazenda Sol do Paraguassu is located in the Chapada Diamantina, on the boarders of the Paraguassu River, and the base of the Sincorá Mountains, in the location of Mucugę, State of Bahia.
Total area: 727.08 hectares
Coffee growing area (according to varieties):
Mundo Novo - 50 hectares
Catuaí - 100 hectares

Main house of the farm

Agrosol - Agropecuária Sol Ltda. was founded in 1980, and began planting coffee in 1987. From then onwards, following a strict strategic planning, with appropriate technical support, it is producing best quality arabica coffees.

Because of this work, the company supplies to the largest and highly accredited coffee export companies.

At an altitude of 1,100 meters, Fazenda Sol do Paraguassu is located in the Chapada Diamantina, a regional full of natural beauties, with rivers, falls, canyons and calcareous caves. Its flowers are rich and varied, especially orchids and bromeliads, with unique world species.

In this beautiful region, the microclimate is adequate for coffee trees and favors their blossoming and fruit maturation.

Coffee plantation and Serra do
Sincorá in the background

The daily and strict follow up of the selective manual harvesting, the preparation methodology separating the beans after washing, and the right drying system, including in covered terraces that take advantage of the sunny region, contribute to Fazenda sol do Paraguassu producing excellent coffees by the cherry pulped natural method and dry method and terrace coffees - which highlights among the "Cafés da Bahia", already known for their excellent quality. Its producing areas, with coffee trees of the Catuai and Mundo Novo varieties, are in plateaus with gentle slopes.

Coffee plantation

Irrigation with center pivot

Blossoming phase

Coffee plantation

Cherry coffee

Drying terrace

Confined cattle

Plantations are treated with organic fertilizers, produced in the farm, as chorume (cattle urine and manure) and organic composts.

The most important raw material of those fertilizers is the manure produced in confinement by the cattle, created in the farm for this sole purpose, and to which are added residues of coffee processing.

Priority goals and targets in the property involve the preservation and conservation of nature and the environment, with continuous plantations of several types of trees, including hard wood.

To use in its dryers, the company has an area to plant pine and eucalyptus trees.

Pine trees

Coffee processing system:
After harvesting the ripe beans, they are placed in the mill-hopper, the coffee passed through the washer/separator and pulpers, manufactured by Pinhalense. Subsequently, the beans are dried on a terrace paved with ceramic tiles with supplementary drying made in a rotary dryer.

Quality concerns:
According to Agrosol's executives, "we should take into consideration, in the first place, that agricultural activity is learned on a daily basis. Persistence, constantly looking for improvements together with continuous investments must include good practices - without which results will never be positive, especially in the coffee industry"
To obtain the programmed results, i.e., quality coffee production, in addition to the commitment of all those involved in the activity, from the humblest worker to the manager of the property, all made special and fundamental contributions, including Hilton Mendes de Alameda, Ph.D. - who, although young in age has an extensive knowledge about coffee agriculture, and Agronomist and USE professor, Claudionor Dutra Neto, who with his technical knowledge and detailed instructions, accompanied the plantation, harvesting and drying stages of the coffee.

Classification and preparation of the winning lot was made by José Carlos Novaes, classifier and cup tester of COOPMAC (Cooperativa Mista Agropecuária Conquistense Ltda.), of Vitória da Conquista, State of Bahia, where Agrosol is a member, and where the lot was re-processed.