Brazil Dry Process Doña Maria Dorotéia

Driving up the Fazenda Santa Maria one of the first things you see is the old farm house that was erected over a century ago (101 years old, to be exact). It's just one of the many artifacts of an old Brazilian estate that dates back more than 150 years in the family of Maria Dorotéia, who currently manages operations. Walking into the house feels like you've stepped back in time, a veritable museum filled with old ephemera, and antique furnishings that pull you back to a much older era. Fazenda Santa Maria is on the outskirts of Santa Rita do Sapucaí town, in a part called Pouso Danta, near the Sapucaí river. The farm is 800 to 1200 meters above sea level and is planted in Red Catuaí, Rubi, Arara, Catucaí, and Mundo Novo (some of the Mundo Novo was planted 45 years ago). They have roughly 120 hectares planted in coffee, and like most of the coffee farmers we visited, are also invested in dairy ranching - "coffee and cream", as they like to say. Maria is very interested in sustainability, and is taking steps to move away from non-organic inputs by using an organic fertilizer she makes from straw, ash, and manure, and planting ground coverage to help protect the soil.