Carlos Roberto Martins Aguiar - Fazenda São José

Brazil Specialty Coffee Association

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

Carlos Roberto Martins Aguiar
Fazenda São José and Fazenda Betânia

Characteristics of the coffee lot:

Processing System: Pulped Natural
The winning lot of the Yellow Bourbon variety was
harvested in an area of 2.1 hectares at Fazenda Betânia.
Variety: Yellow Bourbon
Lot size: 20 bags
Average score: 89.33

Characteristics of the farm:

Properties: Fazenda São José and Fazenda Betânia
E-mail: sales@santoantonioecoffee.com.br
Location: Municipality of Santo Antônio do Amparo, Southern region of the state of Minas Gerais, in the micro-region known as Campo das Vertentes.
Total area:
Fazenda São José - 245 hectares
Fazenda Betânia - 360 hectares
Coffee growing area (according to varieties):
Fazenda São José:
Acaiá - 14 hectares
Mundo Novo - 5 hectares
Icatu Amarelo - 4 hectares
Topázio - 6 hectares
Fazenda Betânia:
Bourbon amarelo - 2.10 hectares
Acaiá - 22 hectares
Mundo Novo - 36.50 hectares
Icatu amarelo - 2.28 hectares
Catuaí Vermelho - 3.10 hectares

Coffee plantation at Fazenda São José

Located in the Southern Minas, in the micro-region called Campo das Vertentes, Fazendas São José and Betânia are at an altitude between approximately 1000 and 1100 meters. Because of the altitude (over 1000 meters), this is a region with many water sources - reason for its name "Campo das Vertentes" (Field of Water Sources), and although it does not possess mighty rivers, it is well served of water sources, waterfalls and small creeks that make it an ideal place for agriculture and livestock.

The climate is altitude tropical, with rainy summers and dry and cold winters. The minimum temperature is 10^oC and maximum 30^oC. Average annual rainfalls are between 1,700 and 2,000 mm.

Vegetation is directly connected to the relief. There are areas with more dense cerrado vegetation and areas in which the vegetation is less dense. In the lower areas, there are plains.

Native woods

Reservoir and native woods

Fazenda São José is characterized by its coffee and corn plantations, with the balance of the area in natural forests. It has three water sources and a large number of wildlife animals and plants.

The property does not have any construction or structure to process coffee, reason why coffee processing is made in Fazenda Betânia, owned by Marisa Carvalho de Aguiar, Carlos Roberto Martins Aguiar's mother.

Fazenda Betânia has all the equipment required to wash and pulp coffee, terraces, dryers and other processing machinery. It also has 66 hectares of planted coffee, and the winning lot of the Cup of Excellence competition was harvested from a Yellow Bourbon plantation of this farm.

Coffee plantation

View of the farm

Coffee processing system:
The winning lot was processed by the pulped natural method. The coffee was washed and pulped on the same day it was harvested, and immediately after this process it was taken to the cemented terrace to dry. The beans were spread on the terrace in a very fine layer, and the coffee was turned constantly. When the drying process was well ahead, the beans were grouped in the afternoon and covered with canvas during the night. No dryers were used in this process. Care was exercised for the coffee not to receive any water from the rains.

Coffee washer and pulper

Drying terrace and storage area

Dryer

Quality concerns:
The know-how to produce quality coffees was acquired with time, and with knowledge and experience accumulated by exchanging information with several persons of the industry. "To produce this lot, we took the normal care that any traditional coffee producer can apply, but not always practice. In my opinion, that occurs because most producers are in a hurry to harvest large volumes of coffee in a very short time, in areas that some times are too small to dry the coffee," stated Carlos Roberto Martins de Aguiar.