Brazil Vista Alegre
Classic Profile | Medium roast
Tasting Notes: Toast, Almond, Chocolate
IT ALL STARTS AT THE COFFEE FARM
This complex and sweet Brazilian coffee comes from Sítio Vista Alegre (sítio means "small farm" in Portuguese), owned by Margarida and José Élio Vilela. Vista Alegre and the couple's other farm, Sítio Leão, make up 2.5 hectares (6 acres) of coffee production. Both farms are located outside of the city of Santo Antônio do Amparo in the southern state of Minas Gerais.
José Élio and Margarida started their journey as coffee growers 10 years ago. They had long dreamed of owning their own business, and their greatest motivation was to be able to use the income from production to provide their daughters with access to education. And the dream came true - today, the couple has a daughter with a law degree, and their other daughter is studying psychology.
"I am with the dream fulfilled. For me, my situation is fulfilled." - José Élio
With the use of good agricultural practices and training on production and quality, they reduce production costs and achieve greater returns for the family. For them, coffee also represents access to knowledge, local connections and networking. When they entered the coffee industry, the couple had the support of people who became friends as they exchanged collective knowledge - and this adds as much value as the money earned. In Margarida's words, "The coffee participation spaces have greatly increased our circle of friendship! We met a new world through coffee!"
The money they've made so far has enabled Margarida and José Élio to expand their farms. Currently, they have around 2.5 hectares and 8,000 coffee trees, and plan to reach 10,000 trees! For any expansion, they are always thinking about how it will affect their quality of life, and the quality of the drink that reaches the final consumer.
Margarida & José Élio
Margarida & José Elio sitting, not looking at camera
Magarida with coffee trees
TRACEABILITY
COUNTRY
Brazil
REGION
Minas Gerais
IMPORTER
BD Imports
VARIETAL
Yellow Catucai
PRODUCER
Margarida and José Élio Vilela
MILL / WASHING STATION
On the farm
PROCESSING
Pulped Natural
ALTITUDE
960 meters
DID YOU KNOW
Since 2021, Margarido and Jose Élio have been part of the Black Coffee Producers Project, built in partnership with Apará Cafés Especials and BD Imports. For the couple, being a part of the project is a source of great joy, and they also feel it gives them recognition for their work in the production of specialty coffee.
PRICE TRANSPARENCY
$3.60
Price paid by Driftaway
$2.95
Free on Board price
$2.41
Farm Gate price
$2.28
Fair Trade price per pound
$
Coffee C-Market price per pound
$0.05
Driftaway's World Coffee Research contribution per pound
AVERAGE CUPPING SCORE
86
/100
86
SCAA Cupping Score
- x 60 kg
Bags purchased
3 years
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2025)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from May 19 to June 13 in Brooklyn. We use the Loring Kestrel roaster for this profile. We have strict guidelines for each of the coffee profiles, and this roast has to pass the development time ratio test as measured in real-time by the roasting software, Cropster. Once it does, it is approved for production.
QUALITY CONTROL
We perform Quality Control via a process of coffee tasting called cupping on all of our production roasts once a week at our roastery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Each cupping is conducted by Ian T., Anu M., and Suyog M. using standard equipment, and is logged by our Q-certified cupper Ian T. All coffees are evaluated on a scoring scale of 0 to 3.
- 3.0 = exceptional roast - exceeds expectations
- 2.5 = on par with profile - matches expectations
- 2.0 = good roast, but 1 or 2 elements could be improved - needs improvement
- 1.5 or lower = failed - do not ship
PRODUCTION AND SHIPPING
Less than 24 hours after roasting, we bag your coffee in our production facility in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Our production team is led by Anthony and Torie, and supported by a rotating cast of local artists, musicians and independent professionals.
AT YOUR HOME
Brew this coffee with your favorite home brewer and enjoy the taste of incredible coffee! Here are a few tips on how to make the best coffee on each brewer.
View other posts about how to make better coffee at home on our blog Coffeecademy.
