Paulo Augusto Caram Nascif - Fazenda Serra das Cabeças

Brazil Specialty Coffee Association

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

Paulo Augusto Caram Nascif
Fazenda Serra das Cabeças

Characteristics of the coffee lot:

Processing System: Pulped Natural
The selected lot, of the Mundo Novo variety, was
harvested in an area of the farm called "Lavoura da Paneira".
Variety: Mundo Novo
Lot size: 29 bags
Average score: 85.86

Characteristics of the farm:

Property: Fazenda Serra das Cabeças
E-mail: guto@18net.com.br
Location: Zona da Mata, in the location of Araponga, State of Minas Gerais.
Total area: 645 hectares
Coffee growing area (according to varieties):
Mundo novo: 25 hectares
Catuai: 22 hectares
Rubi: 8 hectares
Catucai: 10 hectares

View of the farm

Fazenda Serra das Cabeças borders the Serra do Brigadeiro National Park, and has a partially uneven topography, at an altitude of approximately 1,200 meters, with excellent climate for coffee plantations. In seventy-five percent of its area the humid dark red latosol predominates, with good fertility and average acidity. With excellent physical structure, the soil is excellent for coffee plantation development. In the remaining area, the latosol is rocky on the higher parts.

Water is abundant and of excellent quality. There are many water sources and all of them within the property, forming several waterfalls. The farm has large forest reserves, which are mainly part of the Atlantic Rain Forest.

The ecological aspects have been respected and encouraged long before environmental protection laws. A good part of the farm is and will remain untouched, especially those areas of water source protection.

Native woods preservation

Waterfall with water source in the farm

One of the creeks of the farm

The Caram Nacif family has been planting coffee for more than 50 years, since the mid-forties. The quality of life of their employees receives constant attention of the owners of the farm.

Coffee plantation

Blooming coffee trees

Machinery to wash and pulp coffee

Drying terrace

Dryer propelled by water

Paulo Augusto Caram Nascif
with coffee on the terrace

Coffee processing system:
Pulped natural method. The coffee is dried in a cemented terrace.

Quality concerns:
The main guidelines resulted from Mr. Nascif Habib's extensive experience. An old partner of the property, Mr. Habib is currently the farm's quality consultant. The guidelines from the farm's agronomist also contributed to maintaining production quality, together with information and data obtained in specialized publications and on the Internet.
Statement by the producer: "As a consequence of the reality of coffee plantations worldwide, with the arrival of new and strong producing players and the absence of minimum quality standards for the roasting industry, search for survival and expansion alternatives are a must. The specialty coffee niche, despite being a great challenge to producers, is the feasible way of facing the crisis and expanding their activities. As we all know, Brazilian coffees do not require assistance in production but in promotion, as the Minister of Agriculture, Pratini de Moraes mentioned, marketing is made from the best to carry those that are 'not the very best'."

"Therefore, BSCA's initiative not only allowed us to enter an 'untouched' market but also showed us that with two of our coffees selected for the auction on the Internet, it is possible to produce excellence, even with less resources. What we need is information and persistence. For small producers' reality, BSCA's initiative simply signified new hope for coffee plantation, which is what we know how to do."