Heron Carvalho Jr.

Fazenda Canta Galo is situated in Campos Altos in the west of Minas Gerais, Brazil. The farm is located on the fringes of the Atlantic forest in an area known to locals as “the gates to Cerrado”. This area has a particular terroir and microclimate that is ideal for coffee growing.

Canta Galo is managed by Heron Reger De Carvalho Junior who took over the running of the farm after his father passed away. As the farm was small and not very profitable, the rest of Heron’s family wanted to sell it. Heron resisted and instead, invested heavily in the farm, introducing improved post-harvest protocols and drying beds. He began to see results and the farm received recognition for its exceptional quality. This rekindled a passion for coffee among his family, who have now, all returned to work on the farm.

The platform Algrano opened the doors to specialty coffee and foreign markets for Canta Galo. Before this, Heron was selling his high-quality coffee at low-grade prices.

At Canta Galo, maturing of the cherries and drying is slow due to the climate and sunlight patterns. The cherries are mechanically harvested and spread on patios to dry using an intermitted drying regime that is unique to Heron’s farm.