THREE MARKS - Santa Clara {Espresso} | Brazil - Natural - Yellow Catuai

The Project
Paulo Afonso de Resende grew up in the countryside of Minas Gerais, Brazil, where he witnessed the hard work and dedication of coffee production from his father.

After becoming an engineer, he purchased Fazenda Santa Clara in 1993 and started a new chapter as a coffee grower.

With the help of experts and coworkers, he developed a long-term plan for the farm, making it recognized in the region for producing quality coffees.

Paulo Afonso's engineering background helps him to organize processes and operations, and he has been investing in infrastructure and improving working conditions for employees.

The Coffee
First of all, these coffees are harvested by machines adjusted to pick mostly ripe cherries, following the maturation cycle of each varietal.

After harvest, the cherries are immediately forwarded to paved drying patios, skipping the wet mill. Since there is no water contact, this procedure can greatly avoid any potential “fermented” tastes to develop. In the patios, the beans are spread out thinly to increase sunlight exposure and speed up drying.

At around 20% moisture content,
they move to mechanical dryers where temperatures are electronically preset at around 35-40°C. This makes possible to follow a planned drying curve and therefore bringing more uniformity to the lot in terms of moisture content.