Brazil Sitio Canaa Espresso

One of the partnering farms of Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, Sitio Canaã is owned and managed by Joao and Juliana Hamilton. This was one of the very first farms that we bought directly from back in 2012. This 10-hectare farm inherited from his father was managed as a conventional farm and his harvests were originally sold to local coffee brokers. In 2006, Marcos Croce from FAF invited Joao and Ivan family to take part in a new sustainable method in producing coffee. The objective is to achieve the highest quality while simultaneously respecting nature, reforesting the area around their springs, recycling trash, refraining from utilising toxic fertilisers and herbicides giving the practice of cultivating coffee a new inspiration and hope.

Since partnering with FAF, they have made significant changes to the farming practices and quality measures. At Sitio Canaâ, he uses no pesticides, minimizes the use of artificial fertilizer, and uses natural ground cover and native reforestation to preserve the quality of the soil.

João and other pickers selectively strip-pick the coffee once the cherries are purple. After picking, the cherries are extensively sorted with a small optical sorting machine, eliminating over-ripe and under-ripe cherries. In the sun-dried or natural process method of drying coffees, the cherries are placed on raised beds with adjustable shade covers for airflow control. Labour is constantly required to comb the beds for under-ripe cherries, to pick up quaker defects. This drying process takes about 14-20 days.

This lot is a different lot to the filter that we are showcasing currently, this being a Red Catuai variety that is exhibiting a more gentle fruit acidity like dried fruits and a coating mouthfeel that reminds us of a hazelnut finish.