Brazil: Sitio Belem

This is the classic Brazil flavours of milk chocolate and roasted hazelnuts when it's hot, but as it begins to cool there's soft, creamy peach yoghurt flavour which grows to fill the cup.

This is a brand new relationship for Ozone. We came across this lot via Bourbon Group’s Matura Project, created to champion female producers in Brazil. We work extensively with Bourbon to bring in our flagship Brazilian coffees (Cachoeira, Inglaterra, Barreiro) so we’re well familiar with their brilliant work at origin, and in 2024 they launched their pioneering initiative to strengthen ties between their female-led producers and recognise their work. We tried a few coffees from the participating farms and this one blew us away. 

The Matura Project is open to farms owned by women, with women in management, and with women overseeing selection and post-harvest production. It was created as an initiative to highlight women’s leadership in coffee by creating a space for training, knowledge exchange, and the promotion of coffees they produce, while also helping more women producers gain a foothold in the specialty coffee market. The extensive program of support includes post-harvest and fermentation training, specialised technical visits for guidance and monitoring, assistance with microlot selection, cupping sessions and sensory training, lectures on technical knowledge development and expanding market opportunities, and dedicated promotion to connect to new audiences and markets. 

Matura was designed by Bourbon to be accessible and inclusive, allowing more women to participate, innovate, and stand out in the specialty coffee market. It creates a collaborative network where producers can share experiences and gain greater recognition and visibility. Each cup is a testament to the strength and sensitivity of women who are building their legacy in the field.

While the current farm itself is a much more recent occurrence, the story of Sitio Belem can be traced all the way back to 1762. This was the year that the very first road was built crossing the region of Campestre, Brazil. At that time, there were just three farms in the area: Peão, Vanglória, and Cachoeira. The new road greatly improved transportation and boosted the region's production. The productivity of the region continued to grow, and in 1859 Fazenda Mato Dentro was founded by Dulce Souza’s great-great-grandfather, beginning a family tradition that continues to this day. In 1878, João Manoel Franco, Dulce's great-grandfather, planted the first coffee trees here as Fazenda Pinhal do Campestre, coinciding with the birth of Dulce’s grandmother. These two events inspired the name of their brand, “1878” [https://www.1878cafesespeciais.com.br/english]. 

A few decades later, 1891 saw another branch of this coffee-growing family grow in Campestre: João’s second estate, Fazenda Pinhal. This year also marked a period of great prosperity for the family, now with access to running water, telephones, and machinery for the first time. After 31 years, Dulce’s grandfather expanded the family’s coffee production with a further plantation of 160,000 coffee trees. Transportation at that time was challenging, with just three ox-cart routes to transport the coffee to Poços de Caldas for sale. Eventually this hard work was rewarded with the very welcome purchase of a Dodge truck, which enabled them to complete the same journey in a single day.

In 1990, Sítio Belém itself was founded by Dulce and Ablandino. The farm’s name is derived from the Hebrew “Bethlehem” meaning “House of Bread”. The current farm sits on 20 hectares of land (small by Brazilian standards) parcelled from the family’s previous farms, spread across 1,100-1,200 metres above sea level. The main varieties grown at the farm include the Yellow Catucai we see here, plus Mundo Novo, Arara, CD2 Arara, Rubi, Geisha, Paraíso, Paraíso 2, and Catiguá. Their production is based on a sustainability tripod, seeking a balance between the environment, the social and economic conditions of all workers involved, and the property. With great zeal and care for the land, Dulce and Ablandino have seen their production stand out as some of the best in the region.

Dulce stands as a key figure in a family legacy that spans generations, descended from pioneering growers who helped shape the region’s coffee history. She not only carries the heritage of her family’s farms but actively builds upon it. Alongside Ablandino, Dulce founded Sítio Belém, transforming tradition into innovation by cultivating exceptional varieties at high altitudes and maintaining meticulous manual harvesting. Her dedication bridges past and present, ensuring that her family’s name remains synonymous with quality, care, and outstanding specialty coffee.

From Dulce herself:

“I was born and raised at Pinhal Farm, located in Campestre, south of Minas Gerais. I graduated in Dentistry and settled in Botelhos, where I got married and raised our two children. Today, we have two granddaughters. At the same time, we continued and increased coffee plantations on our family land, which began to be cultivated in 1859 and to produce coffee since 1880. Our land is still productive and has plenty of water. We treat this piece of land as something almost sacred, God's creation and a legacy from our parents to us. We respect nature and the people involved in our activity, from production to the consumer. Today, we seek a fair financial return to continue our mission as producers of good coffee.”

• Country: Brazil
• State: Minas Gerais
• Region : Campestre
• Producer: Dulce Souza
• Coffee growing area: 20 hectares
• Elevation: 1,100 – 1,200 m.a.s.l
• Variety: Yellow Catucai
• Processing method: Natural
• Other varieties grown: Mundo Novo, Arara, Rubi, Geisha, Paraíso, and Catiguá
• Harvest months : June to September

Cupping notes: Peach yogurt, milk chocolate, roasted hazelnut.

Cup of Excellence Cupping Scores

• Clean Cup: (1-8): 6
• Sweetness: (1-8): 6.5
• Acidity: (1-8): 6
• Mouthfeel: (1-8): 6
• Flavour: (1-8): 7
• Aftertaste: (1-8): 6
• Balance: (1-8): 6.5
• Overall: (1-8): 6.5
  
• Correction: (+36): +36
• Total (max 100): 86.5

Roasting Information
Medium to Medium Dark - A steady push through, not too fast and looking for the end of the gap, just before second begins to get the best from this coffee.