Rafael Marques, the manager of FAF Coffees Espírito Santo, and in charge of the Lado a Lado project, met Pedro and Gracilda Di Paula when they were still delivering their coffees to a cooperative. They wanted to go further in order to maintain the traceability of their coffee and to improve the quality of their production.
During the harvest, the Di Paula family's working day starts at 5 a.m. and ends at 9 p.m. Any help from family and neighbours is always welcome and everyone has their own mission. Pedro is the man of the field and the one who manages the pulper. Gracilda, in addition to looking after the house, their animals and their 10-year-old daughter, is in charge of the drying patio that runs alongside the house.
Selective hand picking is the norm on the farm. Once picked and crushed, the cherries are taken to covered terraces for the first stage of drying, which lasts 3 days. "Any bad fermentation will ruin the coffee. That's why this first stage deserves special attention".
We have to take care of the cherries to avoid what I call the danger zone. When the humidity of the cherries is low, they are transferred to a second covered terrace where they dry under the watchful eye of the couple. "Our drying process lasts between 15 and 20 days. We continuously turn the cherries to ensure even drying they have an optimum moisture content" says Gracilda.
"It is a lot of work. We are always busy, picking, crushing and taking the cherries to the patios, even on Sundays. When it rains, we work even harder and don't rest, it's the price we pay for producing good speciality coffee," add Pedro.
A fully equipped van acts as a mobile laboratory and travels to eight micro-regions, where the coffees are cupped alongside the producers. The objective is to accompany the producer in tasting his coffee in order to highlight the influence of his work on the bean and the ways in which he can improve his production.
