BVA | Brazil Sítio Vista Alegre
Extra Bold Profile | Dark roast
Tasting Notes: Dulce de Leche, Buttery, Almond
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.
TRACEABILITY
COUNTRY
Brazil
REGION
Minas Gerais
IMPORTER
BD Imports
VARIETAL
Yellow Catucai
PRODUCER
Margarida & José Viela
MILL / WASHING STATION
PROCESSING
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
$3.92
Price paid by Driftaway
$3.12
Free on Board price
Not available
Farm Gate price
$2.03
Fair Trade price per pound
June 1st: $1.83
Coffee C-Market price per pound
$0.05
Driftaway's World Coffee Research contribution per pound
This coffee travelled 4,489 miles to the Driftaway Coffee roastery in Queens.
Love the coffee? You can share your compliments & tasting observations with the farmers.
WHY DID WE SELECT THIS COFFEE?
The Vilela's dedication to producing exceptional coffee shines through in this complex and sweet dark roast.
AVERAGE CUPPING SCORE
85.5
/100
85.5
SCAA Cupping Score
5 x 60 k
Bags purchased
1 year
Length of producer relationship
100% (in 2022)
Transparent coffees purchased
HOW DID WE ROAST THIS COFFEE?
This coffee is being roasted by Ian T. from July 17 to August 16 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 from home as per our Covid-19 shelter in place guidelines. Each cupping is conducted by our roasting staff Kieran D. and Ian T. 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.
