aLESSANDRO ALVES HERVAZ

Sítio Boa Vista

Standing just over two meters tall, Alessandro Alves Hervaz is affectionately referred to as “Brazil’s biggest coffee producer” by the members of the Associação dos Produtores do Alta da Serra (APAS) Fair Trade Association. At just 39 years of age, he is one of the most adept growers in the hills outside of São Gonçalo do Sapucaí, Minas Gerais, having notched 24 years as a coffee producer.

Since 2016, Alessandro has participated in Casa Brasil’s Selective Harvest Project, and his coffee from that project won the APAS competition for best dry-process coffee. This is no small achievement, given the quality of coffee produced by APAS members. Building on his success, Alessandro continues to invest in quality, recently installing a solar dryer and raised beds on his patio to ensure even drying. He has also begun cultivating small lots of Mundo Novo and Yellow Bourbon on a plot sitting above 1,500 meters (4,900 feet). When the trees mature and begin producing fruit, they will be the highest grown coffees in the region. 

As the former president of APAS, Alessandro also plays an influential role in his local coffee community. Many members of APAS initially rejected the concept of focusing on quality, but Alessandro was an early and, fortunately, convincing advocate for quality. Now, many APAS growers are obsessed with improving their coffees, and Alessandro works to connect these growers to new markets. In addition to coffee, Alessandro produces honey, and his farm is dotted with hive boxes. Though Arabica coffee plants do not require bees for pollination, the insects add biodiversity to his farm and the honey serves as a great secondary source of income, once the coffee harvest is over.

Farm: Sítio Boa Vista
Municipality: São Gonçalo do Sapucaí
State: Minas Gerais
Region: Mantiqueira de Minas

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