Mulheres do Caparaó is a group of women producers created by Josimar Sodré, also known as Lalá. This is a group of five women who have decided that specialty coffee is their best bet for the future . Lalá is a leading producer in the region, she tells us about this transition to the specialty and her vision of coffee growing.
"I am a specialty coffee producer and I inherited my parents' farm. It wasn't like that before. For many years, I wanted to produce specialty coffee, but I didn't know everything just not where to start.
With the support and help of my daughters and neighbors Daiana and Aparecida, we got started. I have lived here for 20 years and have no desire to leave. I have always grown coffee but never got recognition for my work until this year. I realize producing specialty coffee unites people all over the world and it's fantastic!
In this producing region, the people most involved in specialty coffee are women , we try to exchange ideas with people who already work with quality coffee and we learn a lot. We are in the process of certification, but even without having completed certification, I realize how important it is to respect the environment.Our water comes from the forest and I am aware of how we must preserve it, the water we have is our most precious resource.
I am sure that the specialty coffee that we will produce in the years to come will be the key to supporting future generations".
This year (end of 2024, beginning of 2025), Brazil suffered from extreme temperatures, more than a month above 30°C and no rain. These disturbances leaded great flowering period but most of the maturating fruits fell down from the trees, resulting in a lower than ever crop, huge fires (forests and plantations) and an infuriated market where 1 kg of basic coffee bought from the producer now costs more than 1 Kg of specialty coffee bought last year from an importer (so adding premium for quality, various labor, transport, warehouse and margin for the importer).
But there a still good news. First one is that the quality of the crop is quite high and it was difficult to choose a lot, but a few cups stood out including this one.
Second one, for the first time, these coffees have been transported by sail from Brazil to Le Havre, which is quite amazing !
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