Daterra: Not Just Another Coffee Farm

Daterra has always impressed me. It's true, we are not talking about a small family operation, a narritive we like to hear about the source of our coffee. But if I have to buy from a bigger farm, I wish they all were Daterra. Here you have a fairly well-off owner who is clearly passionate and involved in every aspect of the coffee production, despite the fact that this is not his main business. This man is Luis Norberto Pascoal, and he sets the stage for the mission at Daterra: a no-holds-barred approach to acheiving maximum cup quality. I know, I sound like I am reading a script. But I was there, I saw what they do, I have cupped their coffees for years, and finally we are offering their pure undblended yellow bourbon cultivar, which has undergone all of the preparation described below. Below I have also excerpted the section from by Brasil travelogue of 05 where I visited the Daterra farm in Cerrado.

The Daterra Process

This is a more precise description of their methods than I describved in my travelogue. Please note that not all their coffees undergo the full Penta system including vacuum bagging and such (like the Santa Columba we had last year, and the Sweet Yellow which is a blendof coffees, not the same as our lot), but their Reserve and our Yellow Bourbon do.

Daterra has developed the state-of-the-art "Penta System", in order to produce high quality green coffee beans. The Penta® System is a comprehensive approach to control each detail of the coffee quality process. The system developed by Maxxipel® , was based on the 6sigma and Total Quality Program. The software also allows for total traceability. The rigid inspections of the beans yield superb coffees. Penta®-sorted ripe and raisin cherries produce a smooth cup of coffee with pleasant acidity and other very special attributes.

The quality delivered is, the most important output of the system. Every stage of this unique processing system has been designed to only select the coffee beans that match the high quality window of Daterra. From picking to shipping, only the perfect beans remain in the process.

The Harvesting Methodology uses selective picking. The Penta® Log allows the ripe cherries to arrive at the Coffee Quality Preparation Unit in less than two hours. At the Preparation Mill, the cherries are sorted by size, maturity stage, and density. Each cherry batch is identified and tracked throughout the whole process.

Sun Drying is fundamental for the initial reduction in humidity. Thin layers of cherries, spread over heat-insulated concrete patios, are revolved three times an hour by means of special equipment. Drum Drying is essential to finally achieve the perfect moisture level for high quality roasting. The drying curve is monitored through a software that guarantees a stable and smooth drying process.

The Wood Silos, much like big wine barrels, age and soften the green beans for six weeks. This resting stage is mandatory for moisture homogeneity.

Density Selection uses gravity and flotation equipment to further select beans, which had been previously sorted out by size. The Penta® technology includes a triple system of clean airbeds that ensures the selection of beans with the same density. The output is a green bean that will deliver an even roast. The Advanced Sorting uses exclusively Penta® designed trichromatic technology. Here, dichromatic together with monochromatic electronic machines finally sort out the beans by reflectance and fluorescence, guaranteeing premium coffee.

A The Penta® Warehouse preserves coffee beans from heat, infrared waves, ultra-violet rays and air flow. The roaster will always receive fresh coffee as a result. Certified Organic Jute Bags are used for packing green coffee. In addition Daterra developed, a special Penta® Packing, which grants the produce a longer shelf life. Roasters can count on freshness, flavor and aroma.

Penta Boxes are an outstanding package for excellent green coffees. The PentaR boxes are a carton box with two foiled vaccum + gas inserted bags inside. Each bag weighs 12,10 kg / 26 pounds and the total box weight is 24,2 kg / 53,25 pounds. It is extremely easy to handle and it has proved to keep - and in some cases to improve – quality for over 3 years storage.

I have seen so many trees in the past 4 years, but the side trip John DiRuocco and I took to Daterra was really fascinating. Daterra is a group of 4 farms, 2 big ones and 2 little ones. A few years ago we bought their Cup of Excellence lot, Boa Vista. They are members of the Caccer family, but are really an independent farm. They are big, well-funded, but have the spirit of invention and experimentation in what they do. It's sorta the La Minita of the region. Here we have 30 year old Catuai trees, some of the oldest in the Cerrado region. (First coffee planted in Cerrado was 1972.)

Coffee Scout: Gustavo was our guide at Daterra. Here he is digging into the ground cover a bit to show the layer of leafy mulch and weeds allowed to remain between rows of coffee shrubs. They mow the weeds when they get too high, but it offers a good layer of protection and more organic material for the deficient soil. They keep the weeds away from the trees so they don't compete with the coffee. For that they use RoundUp, believe it or not. But they keep it very limited.

Cutlivars Produced at Daterra

Arabica variety has always been the "king of coffees". Its richness and balance are due to more than 120 aromatic oils and more than 300 chemical elements, delivering an exotic and complex cup of coffee.

In partnership with IAC (Agronomic Institute of Campinas) and Illycafé, Daterra has carried out deep research to elect the varieties yielding the best cup. That is why Daterra:
- Typica - original natural coffee from Ethiopia.
- Bourbon - mutant of typica from the Island of Bourbon.
- Caturrra - natural mutant of Bourbon originated in Brazil.
- Mundo Novo - natural cross pollination of Sumatra and Bourbon in Brazil.
- Red and Yellow Icatu - Back cross of Bourbon and Canephora Tetraploid.
- Red and Yellow Catuaí - Back cross between Mundo Novo and Caturra.