Brazil - Airumá

Origine: Chapada Diamante, Bahia, Brazil
Variety: Topázio
Process: Pulped natural
Elevation: 1,150 MASL
Farm Owner: Borré Family

Airumá is a microlot selected from Fazenda Progresso, a stunning farm in the Brazilian state of Bahia that is owned by the Borré family. It is named after the incredible ‘starry sky’ .

ABOUT FAZENDA PROGRESSO

Fazenda Progresso is a beautiful farm nestled in the Chapada Diamantina mountain range, in the heart of Bahia. The farm is located near the town of Mucugê, and sits on a plateau at 1,150m above sea level surrounded by the Chapada Diamantina National Park, which is known for its mountainous cliff formations (Chapada) and 19th-century diamond mining (Diamantina). This high elevation plays a key role in the quality of the coffees produced here, as does the region’s climate. Hot days and cool nights, with an average temperature variation of just 10°C, create the ideal conditions for slow coffee cherry maturation and the gradual development of natural sugars in the fruit, resulting in a sweet and complex cup.

Fazenda Progresso is owned by the Borré family who have been in business for three generations. The history of the farm dates back to 1984 when the Borré family migrated from Southern Brazil to the northeast and purchased some land in the municipality of Ibicoara, near the town of Mucugê. In the early years, the family tried growing crops such as soybeans, wheat and English potatoes. The potatoes turned out to be an incredibly successful crop, stimulating investments and making the family one of the largest producers of potatoes in Bahia.

In 2005, the Borré family sought to diversify the activities on their land and quickly recognised that the high elevations, plentiful rainfall, and rich soil found on their property were ideal for the production of specialty coffee. The family’s youngest son, Fabiano Borré, spearheaded the coffee program, investing in state-of-the-art infrastructure and agricultural practices to ensure they could produce the very highest quality coffee possible. Fabiano has surrounded himself with an exceptional team and sought advice from some of the most respected professionals in the field, including Silvio Leite, founder of the Cup of Excellence and president of the Brazil Specialty Association, who has over 30 years of experience in coffee grading, tasting and quality control.

Today, some 530 hectares of the property are dedicated to coffee. This land is divided up into different plots and processed separately, using Fazenda Progresso’s meticulously designed infrastructure. Over the last decade, Fabiano has continued to experiment and invest in equipment and processes that will improve the quality of his coffee. He has implemented a robust quality control program and dedicated quality control lab with a talented cupping team headed up by Ednaldo Nascimento who has worked with Progresso since 2010. This focus on quality was rewarded the first time Progresso entered coffee into the Cup of Excellence competition in 2015 and placed 15th – a fantastic achievement and testament to the hard work, resources, and focus that has been put into producing exceptional coffee. They also went on to place 20th in the 2017 Cup of Excellence.

HOW THIS COFFEE WAS PROCESSED

This lot comes from the Fazenda Floresta plot of Progresso Estate. This coffee was carefully hand-picked by a specially trained team in August. It was then processed via the pulped natural method: the cherry’s skin and fruit were removed and the sticky, parchment-covered beans were soaked in a tank with water for 12 hours. The coffee was then dried on raised beds  in a greenhouse environment for a total of fourteen days. The coffee then received a final touch of drying in mechanical dryers at 33 degrees celsius to ensure the remaining moisture was homogenised. Progresso has done a lot of experimentation with drying and has found that this method yields the very best results and ensures that the coffee holds its quality over an extended period of time.

Once dry, the coffee was cupped by the QC team and placed in large silos to rest. Once approved and ready for export it was processed at Fazenda Progresso’s dry mill which is also located on the farm.