Santa Catarina Espresso

Sítio Santa Catarina is located in Carmo de Minas, one of the best-known growing regions in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. The five-hectare farm is now owned by Sebastião Alexandre da Silva, who took it over from his father, Benedito Faustino da Silva. Benedito planted the first coffee trees in 1983, but was dissatisfied with the results for a long time. The family eventually moved the trees to a much higher part of the farm, at an elevation of 1,275 meters, unusually high for the area. This step laid the foundation for the quality the farm achieves today.

Alongside Red Catuai, the farm grows Yellow Bourbon and Icatu. The cherries are hand-picked and taken to the Pedra Branca mill for processing. The family also benefits from the mill’s expertise. For this lot, they chose anaerobic fermentation before classic Natural drying: the cherries first ferment without oxygen, then dry with the fruit pulp intact on raised beds in the sun. This gives the coffee its pronounced, long-lasting sweetness.

Minas Gerais produces around half of Brazil’s coffee, and Carmo de Minas is one of the country’s most quality-focused subregions. Many small farms like Sítio Santa Catarina now focus on microlots rather than sheer volume. Competitions such as the Carmo Best Cup have made the region known for complex, nuanced cup profiles.