Origin Story
This microlot was grown at Sítio Canaã (which translates to “The Promised Land” in Portuguese). The farm lies just outside the small town of Piatã, in Bahia’s Chapada Diamantina region, ranging across 1,280 to 1,340 meters above sea level.
Piatã’s terroir is unique in Brazil, and contributes greatly to its strong regional distinction. The soil is nutrient-rich and slightly humid, creating a healthy and diverse ecosystem that is home to some 1,600 individual plant species.
Sítio Canaã is owned and managed by Kleumon Silva Moreira. Kleumon is young – he’s still in his 30s – but has been working in coffee for well over a decade
Kleumon is a conscientious producer and meticulous in the way that he approaches every aspect of his plantation. Each of the trees at Sítio Canaã is carefully planted 60cm apart and in rows that are 3.3m apart. To optimise and supplement his income while his coffee trees fully mature, Kleumon has also planted sugarcane, passionfruit, and strawberries — but as his coffee production grows, he is slowly moving away from these crops (though he enjoys producing cachaça and panela bricks for his own consumption). The property also includes a water reserve, which Kleumon relies on heavily during years when the region is experiencing a drought.
Processing
Kleumon ensures cherries were picked by hand only when fully ripe. His picking team was made up of many of his family members, including his mother who lives close by. Once picked, cherries were taken to Cerca de Pedras for processing using the pulped natural process.
After pulping the coffee at the wet mill, the beans were sun-dried in greenhouses with their mucilage still attached—spread in layers of about four centimetres and raked several times a day. At this stage, the coffee was primarily left in the shade and greenhouses are closed overnight, to slow down and homogenise the drying process. This extra attention to detail is key in improving and ‘saving’ the fructose and all positive attributes found in the fruit that contribute to a higher quality in the final cup, and adds to the longevity of the lot. Once dry, the parchment was taken to Antonio Rigno’s São Judas Tadeu to be dry milled and separated into numbered lots. The sacks of parchment were later stored and rested at a purpose-built warehouse at Fazenda Progresso, to be prepared for export.
