Region: Pedralva, Mantiqueira de Minas, Minas Gerais
Elevation: 1230 masl
About: The last time we purchased one of Luciano’s coffees was back in 2018. At the time, we found his coffee through our export partners, Cocarive—a cooperative that connects producers in and around the Mantiqueira de Minas region with international buyers. Each year, Cocarive holds an auction for the ten highest-scoring coffees in the Natural, Pulped Natural, and Fairtrade categories. In 2018, Luciano placed second in the Natural category. It’s been a long time, but we couldn’t be happier to have found another of Luciano’s coffees in Cocarive’s auction—this year, Luciano placed first in the Natural category.
Luciano Braga has been working on his family farm, Sítio da Pedra, since the 1970s—first with his father when he was just 15 years old, and later as the head of the family business. Over the years, Luciano has reinvested in the farm, making small improvements year after year, including building raised drying beds and diversifying his crop to include new disease-resistant varieties such as Arara. Coffee is his passion—one that he’s passed on to his three daughters, who will one day take over from their father.
