Story
Silvio and Sítio Alto Ar
Silvio has a history of many challenges in his life, which fortunately culminated in the production of specialty coffee. In his account, he recalls the difficult life he had when he was little, with his father working late into the night to earn some extra money to provide for their family.
In 1990, at the age of 15, Silvio moved to Belo Horizonte which is capital of the Minas Gerais state, looking for a job to further help out with his family's financial situation. Unfortunately he had no luck and instead found out that living in a capital brings up even more challenges. With very little employment opportunities, even earning enough to eat became quite difficult.
So, he returned to their farm and began his own coffee journey, providing services as a rural worker to the neighbours on his father's property. After many years of hard work, eager to change the quality of life of his family and to support the network of small coffee producers, Silvio finally conquered his own property.
However, it still took a long path of learning to be able to produce high-quality anaerobic fermented coffees. Initially, he sought to produce coffee in a good amount to provide better conditions for his family, however, he knew that quantity would not be the answer to higher incomes. He started with eliminating all pesticides on its property.
They haven’t been using pesticides on the property for the last five years, they have mastered the anaerobic fermentation technique and are seeking to provide the highest possible quality coffees from the crop, the selective collection and careful drying for the proper management of the coffee post-harvest.
Silvio and his family not only enjoy a better quality of life by producing high-quality coffees, but they also have fun with the careful production of their coffees. In Silvio's own words, he feels very proud to “feel that people like my coffee”. With the improvements in production and thanks to our cooperation, Silvio was able to finish their house near the crops and the environment they like the most.
Processing
The coffee was processed with anaerobic fermentation. Beans went through a 9 days long fermentation process in sealed airtight tanks. This helps some particular microbes to survive the airless environment, and extended stew time, creating some unique flavours which are quite uncommon in brazilian coffees.