Brazil Rafael Vinhal Piña Colada Anaerobic

Coconut, pineapple, chamomile

Farm: Fazenda Recanto

Owner: Vinhal Cafés Artesanais

Municipality: Serra do Salitre

Region: Minas Gerais, Cerrado Mineiro

Elevation: 1330 m

Harvest: May - September

Number of coffee trees: 850,000

Average annual production: 8000 bags of 60 kg

Varieties on farms: Red Bourbon, Yellow Catuai, Red Catuai, Catucai, Mondo Novo, Icatu, Topazio, IBC12, Geisha, Pacamara

Certificates: 4C (4c-services.org), RFA (rainforest-alliance.org), Ceritfica Minas, BSCA (bsca.com.br)

SCA score: 87+

Variety: Icatú

Importer: Chicas Industry

Processing: Anaerobic fermentation (190 h)

Microlot 15 - Piña Colada 

Rafael has again redesigned a unique way of processing for his favorite variety Icatú. This is 2 x fermented, fully washed coffee. After mechanically picking and sorting the immature cherries in a water bath, Rafael left the whole cherries dry for 30 hours. In order for the temperature not to rise too much, the coffee was subsequently cooled with cold water - the so-called thermal shock took place. After removing the outer skin, further fermentation took place, this time without access to air, in a water bath for 190 hours. Finally, the coffee was centrifuged and dried for 16 days.

The result is a very aromatic product, characterized by its unmistakable coconut aroma. The taste profile is dominated by condensed milk with a hint of coconut, pineapple with chamomile aftertaste.

History and present of the farm

The Vinhal family began growing coffee in 1988, in the heart of Minas Gerais, in the Cerrado Mineiro region of Brazil, and over the past three decades, as they say, have improved their working practices and adopted the best standards in accordance with the principles of sustainability and respect for people and the environment. It is a family company and all those involved in the cultivation and harvesting process are completely dedicated to coffee. Coffee trees are grown on the Fazenda Estrela and Fazenda Recanto farms, two properties in Serra do Salitre in the Cerrado Mineiro area. Over the years, the Vinhal family has received the Rainforest Alliance, 4C and Certifica Minas certifications and become a member of the Brazilian Coffee Association (BSCA).

Seu Zico, Rafael's grandfather and current manager of the family's wealth, was the first to come up with the idea. Mr. Zico, as his grandchildren proudly say, was very charismatic and kind. It was he who planted the first coffee seeds with his own hands in the 1980s. And the family-owned company Vinhal Cafés Artesanais could have grown out of them.

Father Afonso, alongside Rafael's mother Marcelia, took the lead when Seu Zico died. Afonso is in charge of the most demanding side of the business - farm management. As we say in Brazil, he "wears a piano." Marcélie is in charge of one of the most delicate aspects of the business, the post-harvest microlot processing. Rafael, the eldest son of Afonso and Marcélie, is responsible for the commercial development of the farm and the brand. The family had never exported before, but now they are trying to get rid of their reliance on intermediaries, which is currently Rafael's main project. His vision is direct trade with customers and the fight against organized cooperatives, which have created a monopoly on the coffee market, so typical especially in Brazil. The goal is to sell to roasters and know your final buyer.