Cerca de Pedra Sao Benedito – 96 hour ferment micro-lot
Floral and fruit forward, with concord grape, papaya, cherry and chocolate. Syrupy body and good intensity.
This coffee was produced by our dear friend, coffee mentor and sourcing partner in Brazil, Silvio Leite. This is Silvio’s first harvest from his farm, Fazenda Cerca de Pedra, Sao Benedito, which is located in Piatã, a privileged coffee growing region in Bahia’s Chapada Diamantina region.
This particular 600kg micro-lot from Sao Benedito is an experimental micro-lot which was fermented for an extended period of time – 96 hours in total. The result is exceptional – we love this coffee’s fruity character and floral aroma.
ABOUT SILVIO LEITE
Silvio has a deep understanding of Brazilian coffee and has played a pivotal role in shaping specialty coffee both in Brazil (and in particular the state of Bahia, where he has worked for 27 years) as well as globally. Silvio is one of the founders of the Cup of Excellence program, and has served as a Head Judge for over 30 Cup of Excellence competitions, and travels the globe to lead coffee lectures and cupping training. He has served as President of the BSCA, and has worked for a multitude of coffee companies and producers supporting them with everything from coffee processing and quality control to all stages of post-harvest processing.
Silvio is one our favourite people working in coffee. Our paths first crossed in 2008, and the moment we met him we knew that we had found a friend for life. He is open, warm, honest and passionate, and has a tonne of knowledge, experience and expertise that he was accumulated over the last 3 decades and generously shares with all that cross his path. We hold a huge amount of admiration and respect for Silvio – for his expertise, incredible work ethic, dedication and commitment to specialty coffee.
We have worked with Silvio for many years to source the very best coffees that Brazil has to offer, however, this is the first year that we have been able to actually purchase coffee produced by Silvio himself! For many years he has talked about his dream of owning his own farm, and we are thrilled to see this dream become a reality and represent his first harvest this year in Australia!
“This farm comes as a fulfillment of a dream. Having being in the coffee business for over 40 years, the dream of producing my own coffee comes true now with Fazenda Cerca de Pedra Sao Benedito, and my first harvest” – Silvio
ABOUT FAZENDA CERCA DA PEDRA SAO BENEDITO
Silvio purchased this 30-hectare farm in 2019. Currently, 6 hectares are planted with coffee, including some new Geisha, Kenya SL28 and Pacamara varieties that Silvio is trialling on the land. This particular lot is a 50/50 mix of Red and Yellow Catuaí.
To ensure he is set up for success, Silvio has an all-star team – Antonio Rigno (of the multi-award-winning Sao Judas Tadeau) is acting as Silvio’s advisor, and Kleumon (owner of Sitio Canaã) is the manager of the farm. Silvio has worked as an advisor and business partner with both of these producers for many years, so there is a lot of trust and mutual respect between each of them. With all three minds together, we are excited to see that they are capable of!
Silvio explained when we asked that he would not submit this coffee to the Cup of Excellence, recognising that many other producers in the region would benefit a lot more from winning this competition. His ultimate goal is make the farm ” a model… a coffee school to showcase how to sustainably produce specialty coffee. With the help of an Agronomist, we are sharing this knowledge many small producers in the region who may not have the resources to afford external consultation and advice”
ABOUT PIATA
This coffee comes from a small group of producers who have farms Piatã, a privileged coffee growing region in Bahia’s Chapada Diamantina region. Chapada Diamantina translates to ”Diamond Plateau” in Portuguese, and for 100 years this area was mined for the gemstones embedded in its cliffs. Today the region is famous for its specialty coffee.
Piatã is a very unique and distinct coffee growing region in Brazil. Coffee grows at elevations of up to 1,400 meters above sea level, which is very high for Brazil. In winter, the temperature ranges from 2°C to 18°C, and these factors, combined with the area’s rich soil and growing conditions, present favourable conditions for the production of high-quality coffee with a cup profile that is very bright, transparent, and distinctive.
This region has only recently started to become recognised internationally for its high quality since the 2009 Cup of Excellence, where five of the top 10 spots came from Piatã. The region’s dominance in the awards has continued every year since and incredibly, in the 2016 Cup of Excellence Pulped Natural competition, an astounding 19 of the 24 winning lots came from Piatã!
Piata coffees are now considered some of the best in Brazil. These coffees are extremely limited, and production is relatively small, given the small scale of the farms in this part of Brazil. We feel so lucky to work with some of this regions best producers, including now Silvio Leite and his dream team, who are only capable of amazing things!
