Sebastião Afonso da Silva

Sítio Baixadão

Sebastião Afonso Da Silva has established Sítio Baixadão as one of the leading coffee farms in the world. From humble beginnings—he is one of over 20 children in a family of rice sharecroppers—Sebastião made history in 2014 when he won the Cup of Excellence in Brazil with the highest scoring coffee ever in the competition, and again in 2015 when he took the top prize in the naturals competition.

Sebastião’s quality derives from his ability to take advantage of the unique microclimate of his farm in the Mantiqueira mountains, where his fields enjoy both high altitude (over 1,300 meters) and natural protection  from wind and weather. For most farms in Brazil the harvest ends in September, but Sebastião and his family are able to harvest coffee as late as December due to later flowering of his plants, slower fruit maturation, and his decision to extend the harvest in pursuit of quality. He even built a small room above his wet mill where he stays during the harvest to ensure that everything is processed according to his standards. The results are coffees that are incredibly sweet, bright and complex.

Farm: Sítio Baixadão
Municipality: Cristina
State: Minas Gerais
Region: Mantiqueira de Minas

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