Story
Serra Dos Ciganos is the name of the 40-producer strong collective located in the Mogiana region of Brazil (bordering the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais) who grew our newest Catuai varietal between 1,200-1,350 meters above sea level. Meaning “Gypsy Hills,” the local name of this community and the mountain valley in which these farms are situated pays tribute to its 19th century legacy as a camp for nomadic travelers. This coffee is indeed a piece of history — a drinkable artefact that carries the grievances of a place marred by colonial exploitation, slavery, and soil degradation from industrial monocropping, yet which also reveals Brazil’s bright, sustainable future. Despite a fraught agricultural past which until 30 years ago had been dominated by industrial mass-cultivating of lower quality beans, Brazil now boasts some of the world’s most modernized farming technologies, research labs, worker protection laws and above-average picking wages; thanks in part to the work of on-the-ground organizations like our new exporting partner FAF. FAF (Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, or “Environmental Fortress Farm”) was founded by the Croce family who after reviving their own formerly rundown soil, helped connect other farmers in the region to collectively pursue greater ecosystem viability and global access. They now provide over 150 small-scale farmers with more transparency and more sustainable, predictable income for their specialty grade coffee. This lot is dry processed (on raised beds in the sun). The resulting cup brings out everything we love about coffees from Brazil: full bodied, rich, chocolatey flavours that are light on acidity. In the cup, we taste fudge, nougat, and vanilla.
