Fazenda Santa Crus, located in Caconde, São Paulo, is a family-owned farm famed for its high quality coffee. Managed by the Fonseca Figueiredo family since 2019, with a rich history of coffee cultivation dating back to 1932, the farm is situated at 1000 to 1200 metres above sea level. The family draws on it's experience of years in the coffee industry, alongside innovative methods throughout the process, to produce a wide range of varieties such as Mundo Novo, Catucai, Catuaí and Paraiso across the 900+ hectare estate.

With an emphasis on soil conservation, micro-lots on steep slopes, and water conservation techniques Fazenda Santa Cruz delivers consistently high-scoring coffees that can be sustainably produced year-on-year. The farm processes the lots using it's extensive patios, before storing them in custom-built wooden silos; honey and other agricultural services allow diversified income streams.

The family members form a dedicated team that's augmented with seasonal workers at necessary times during the harvest period, allowing for great consistency alongside efficient and effective harvesting. 

This Catucai lot has been processed as a pulped natural, with the selected coffee cherries being pulped (the cherry skins and fruit flesh being separated from the seeds using a device that essentially squeezes them until they pop) before the seeds are placed onto the patios to dry. The small amount of sticky fruit material left on the seeds will introduce some more sweetness and body to the final cup whilst limiting any of the 'funkier' notes sometimes associated with a full naturally processed coffee.

In this case the pulped natural process gives us the dried fruit characteristics of raisin, the mouthfeel of smooth milk chocolate, and the deep, almost fruity sweetness of a Demerara sugar.