NOSSA SENHORA DE FATIMA ORGANIC

FAZENDA NOSSA SENHORA DE FATIMA is located near the town of Perdizes, Minas Gerais in the Cerrado “Triangulo Mineiro”. The farm is situated at an altitude of 950-1,000 meters a.s.l. Its annual rainfall is in the order of 1,500 mm.

The different varieties of coffee planted include Acaia, Bourbon, Catuai and Mundo Novo. The soil is rich in iron and minerals. The harvest initiates every year around mid April and finalizes in July. Nossa Sehnora de Fatima is certified by BCS-OKO as organic, and by Rainforest Alliance and UTZ. 

The farm is owned by Ricardo de Aguiar Resende and his wife Gisele, third generation coffee producers from Cerrado, who live in the farm and are completely dedicated to it.  Together, they have developed several social projects including housing which benefit the workers and the neighboring community. They have established and built a school and a very complete educational program for the children of the workers. Nossa Senhora de Fatima was the first FAIR TRADE ORGANIC Certified Farm in Brazil.

The farm consists of  395 hectares, out of which 235 are planted  with coffee. In addition to coffee, there are other areas dedicated to livestock such as cattle and pigs. Environmental preservation is top priority for the owners. The farm has invested on replanting native trees, caring for the native fauna and flora. A very intense reforestation process for shade trees has been implemented.

Some of the coffee produced in the farm is shade grown which is very unusual for Brazil.   The owner has focused in improving yields and quality of the coffee by developing rich organic compost fertilizers, utilizing micro-organisms which are available at the farm. Natural pesticides and biological traps for insects have been also a top project for the farm. Irrigation is also very well organized to assure right amount of water during dry seasons. These efforts are really an example of sustainable farming, in which yields are definitively a challenge  but quality has been the top priority for the producer.  Small micro lots are completely dried on the raised beds ( a process which may take up to 28 days) while the larger lots are initially dried on the patios

All of the coffee cherries are Natural dry process.The cup offers characteristics which are a result of the natural dry process.. It has a medium body, mild acidity, rich nutty caramel  flavor, with  some chocolate  notes, and a sweet finish.