Pedro and Gracilda Di Paula met the FAF Coffees Espírito Santo team back when they were still delivering their coffee to a cooperative. Subsequently, they wanted to go further to preserve the Product Traceability of their coffees and improve the quality of their production.
During the harvest, in the Di Paula family, the workday begins at 5 AM and ends at 9 PM. Any help from their family and neighbors is always welcome, and everyone has their task. Pedro is in the plantations and manages the pulper. Gracilda, in addition to taking care of the house, their animals, and their 10-year-old daughter, is responsible for drying the coffee on the patio located alongside the house.
Selective hand-picking is the norm on the Farm. After being picked and pulped, the coffee cherries are transported to covered patios for the first stage of drying, which lasts 3 days. “Any poor fermentation ruins the coffee. That's why this first stage requires special attention. We must take care of the cherries to escape what I call the danger zone”. When the cherry moisture is low, they are transferred to a second covered patio where they dry under the careful supervision of the couple. “Our drying process lasts between 15 and 20 days. We continuously turn the cherries to ensure uniform drying until they reach an optimal Moisture Content,” explains Gracilda.
“It’s a lot of work. We are always busy, picking, pulping, and moving the cherries on the patios, even on Sundays. If it rains, we work even harder and don't rest—that’s the price to pay to produce good specialty coffee!” adds Pedro.
A fully equipped mobile van serves as a mobile laboratory and travels through eight micro-regions, where coffees are Cupped alongside the Producers. The objective is to support the Producer in Cupping their coffee, highlighting the influence of their work on the bean and identifying areas for improvement to perfect their production.
