Fazenda Terra Alta

Fazenda Terra Alta was founded in 2010 when Paulo and Juliana Piancastelli walked away from their corporate careers to embrace a new calling as coffee growers. Located in Ibiá, Minas Gerais, Brazil, the land they purchased was a degraded cattle ranch with depleted soil and neglected natural springs. They built Fazenda Terra Alta from scratch, prioritizing quality, efficiency and sustainability.

Before planting a single coffee tree, Paulo and Juliana dedicated their initial efforts to healing the land—focusing heavily on soil recovery, monitoring erosion in high-risk zones, and planting native trees to restore the local ecosystem. From their very first harvest in 2013, Fazenda Terra Alta has produced award-winning, high-scoring coffees.

Fazenda Terra Alta is UTZ Certified and operates under a bold mission to pioneer eco-friendly farming. Every bean is cultivated using cutting-edge, planet-first technologies:

• Water & Soil Protection: Advanced subsurface drip nutri-irrigation targets roots directly, eliminating water and fertilizer waste.
• Eco-Smart Farming: Precision electrostatic nozzles and natural grass management cut pesticide and herbicide use down to the absolute minimum.
• A Thriving Ecosystem: Roughly 30% of the farm is a dedicated conservation area, actively fostering reforestation and native wildlife preservation.

We first partnered with Paulo and Juliana in 2017. In the few short years they have been in the specialty coffee industry, they have put together an expert production team, planted high quality coffee varietals, and implemented innovative processing methods. Their product is impressive, and the partnerships they seek with roasters are notable. They have built an independent importing/exporting structure that supports the Direct Trade model fully. They are in complete control of the coffee during shipment, and are selective about which warehouses receive their coffees.

Terra Alta's Mission:

“To pioneer new approaches to high quality green coffee production, to positively impact the environment and the community, to boldly go where no grower has gone before.”