BRAZIL - Luiz Saldanha

A smooth and balanced profile, combining rich sweetness with a delicate fruity brightness

THE BEAN

CUPPING NOTES Nougat, Caramel, Red Apple

PROCESS Natural Honey

VARIETY Red and Yellow Bourbon and Catuai

PRODUCER Capricornio, Luiz Saldanha

REGION Paraná

ALTITUDE 450-1200m

SCA POINTS 85

CROP 2026

THE FARMER BEHIND

This coffee originates from the northern region of Paraná, a state in southern Brazil with a long but turbulent coffee history. Once one of the most important coffee producing areas in the world, Paraná’s coffee sector was heavily affected by devastating frosts in the 1970s. In recent years, however, the region has experienced a revival through a new generation of farmers focusing on quality driven specialty coffee rather than large scale commodity production.

A central figure in this transformation is Luiz Saldanha, founder of Capricornio Coffees. Through Capricornio, Saldanha works closely with smallholder producers across Paraná and neighboring regions, helping them transition to specialty coffee by providing agronomic guidance, quality control, post harvest support and access to international markets. The project emphasizes transparency, fair prices for farmers and long term relationships between producers and roasters.

Among the producers involved in this coffee are the members of Mulheres Do Café Do Matão, a women led collective established in 2013 in the rural community of Matão. The initiative was created to give women working on family coffee farms a stronger voice and recognition within the local coffee sector. Many of the members had long been involved in coffee cultivation but rarely received formal acknowledgement for their work. Through the group, they began participating in training programs, quality competitions and specialty coffee initiatives. Today the collective represents more than twenty women producers who cultivate coffee on small family farms and actively promote leadership, collaboration and professional development for women in agriculture.

Another important contributor is Fazenda California, one of the best known coffee estates in Paraná and an important reference point for quality coffee production in the region. The farm has played a significant role in developing specialty coffee practices in southern Brazil, experimenting with varieties, processing methods and traceability systems while also supporting surrounding producers through knowledge sharing and collaboration.

The coffee also reflects the work of smallholder farmers from the municipality of São Jerônimo da Serra, a mountainous area where coffee farms are typically modest in size and managed by families who have cultivated the crop for generations. These farms often operate as diversified agricultural systems, where coffee grows alongside crops such as corn, beans, bananas and fruit trees. This mixed farming approach helps maintain soil health, supports biodiversity and provides additional income and food security for farming families.

Together, these producers represent a collaborative network that combines technical expertise, community organization and traditional farming knowledge. Through initiatives like Capricornio Coffees and groups such as Mulheres Do Café Do Matão, farmers in northern Paraná are redefining the region’s coffee identity shifting from large scale commodity production toward distinctive, traceable coffees that highlight both the land and the people who cultivate it.