INNOVATION AS THE MAIN DRIVER

Dead plant roots, compacted soil, no organic matter, erosion and degraded soil life. In the early days of the 21st century, this nowadays postcard pretty farm didn't quite look the part. Starting out as a research center for coffee for the University of California more than a century ago, the last part of the 20th century it served as a sugar cane farm. The way the place was farmed degraded the soils heavily and financially, the farm went bust. In 2004, the farm was acquired by Dr. Paulo Cesar Saldanha Rodrigues and his nephew, Luiz Saldanha Rodrigues. The first one being a visionary entrepreneur, the latter an agronomy student and coffee Q-grader in the making. They had big plans to show that agriculture could regenerate a farm and that farming can heal, instead of only take. Not long after the acquisition of the farm, Paulo and Luiz went flying, and suffered a tragic plane crash, which killed Paulo. Luiz decided to continue the dream together with this wife Flavia, and they live to date at the farm with their two daughters Heloisa and Maria.

Today, the farm has 100% of its coffee plants renewed since the day this adventure started. Next to this, its structures and production processes, harvesting, wet mill, drying, storage and dry mill were upgraded and a management system of sustainable production was set up, adapting the property to the highest levels of the world market demand. Nowadays, with the mission of producing high quality food and coffee for the consumer, society and the environment, husband and wife, who are both Q-Graders, share the same love for coffee quality and dream of extending this passion for the next generation. With their knowledge of farming, sustainability and coffee quality, their coffees compete at world level standards, and serve as an inspiration for the whole This Side Up family.

Luiz Roberto Saldanha has a degree in Agronomic Engineering, Business Administration, MBA in Production Management and Specialization in Corporate Coffee Culture. In 2010 he was elected Vice-President of the Specialty Coffees Association of Norte Pioneiro do Paraná (ACENPP) and, in 2012, he assumed the presidency of the institution. Under its management and in partnership with the other institutions participating in the project, in May 2012, the Norte Pioneiro do Paraná Region received the Registration of Geographical Indication of Origin with the INPI (National Institute of Trademarks and Patents), becoming, at the time, the third producing region in Brazil to receive it.
Luiz was an active member of the Technical Committee on Coffee Culture of the Federation of Agriculture of the State of Paraná (FAEP) between the years 2007 and 2014 and a member of the Sectorial Chamber of Coffee of the State of Paraná, having been elected sub-manager of the entity between the years 2011 and 2012. During the period, he assisted in the elaboration of projects for restructuring coffee production in Paraná together with the research and extension agencies of the State, in order to assist the development of public policies for the sector.
Managing Fazenda Califórnia, he was responsible for the implementation of the UTZ Certified (2007) and Rainforest Alliance (2011) social and environmental certification protocols, the first certified property in the State of Paraná, in both cases.
Fascinated by the search for knowledge in the different production and post-harvest techniques of specialty coffees, since 2009, he has made technical visits to different producing countries such as: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Colombia. He also carried out technical collaboration work with renowned international specialists Aida Batlle, from El Salvador, and Lucia Solis, from the USA, validating different fermentation protocols and implementing good processing practices from the wine industry to Fazenda California.
As a cupper, he was a member of the national judges of the Cup of Excellence Competition (COE) in different editions and, in 2013, he was part of COE International Jury. In 2012 he was certified Q-Grader by the Coffee Quality Institute and is currently part of the training program for Assistant Instructors of the institution.
With the adaptation of Fazenda California's production processes, and the search for continuous improvement, it won several awards in State and National quality contests, as well as the honor of being part of the select group of recognized properties with the seal of “Cup of Excellence”. Fazenda California was the first property in Paraná to win a COE title (2010) and the only one to repeat the feat (2015).
In 2018, Fazenda California is promoted by the Starbucks Reserve Program with their first ever Yeast Control Fermentation lot, and receives the partnership for the Social Program “Vozes de São Francisco” child chorus. On the other side of the world, the Taiwanese Coffee in Good Spirits Champion Chris So, competes in the WCE with Fazenda California Honey Moon lot. It’s this year This Side Up picks up the rising star and starts the natural connection with Luiz, finding out that they have a lot in common.
Next year, in 2019, This Side Up starts to trial the special fermentation processes on the European market. Promising, as the Obatã Honey Moon wins the gold medal at the Australian International Coffee Awards Single Origin Espresso that year. Luiz makes the presentation “Thinking Differently from Seed to Cup” at the Australian event Firestarter 2019 in Melbourne. At the farm, Fazenda California builds an on-site laboratory to start the studies and validation of production and use of microbiological agents in its production system.
In 2020 Luiz started a Specialization in Neuroscience and Behavior: “After all, the coffee chain is made up of people and, as fascinating as understanding the nuances present in each cup, is understanding the nuances of those behind them ...”. That same year, This Side Up’s Maarten visited Fazenda California to see the fields, the wet mill, the fermentation tanks and more. With so many pioneering techniques to be witnessed, any visit to Fazenda California feels too short. Whilst Maarten being there, Luiz graduates as a Coffee Expert in the Coffee Quality Institute program Q-Processing 3. In the field, the trials are now scaling for the use of microbial agents on pests and diseases management as for root system strengthening and nutrients recycling.
In the early months of 2021, Fazenda California opened it’s on-site laboratory to research on microbial behavior and develop microbial “cocktails” to be inserted under the coffee trees. Next to soil microbial behavior, the laboratory is also the home of a PhD research on microbial behavior in the fermentation tank, and specifically, the changes of DNA composition when fermenting. Once again, Fazenda California is proving to be on the forefront of coffee science in general, and more so, science that can help farmers to develop regenerative agricultural systems. Luiz does not sit still and becomes a Coffee Quality Institute Q-Processing Instructor and a Q-Grader Assistant Instructor. Next to this, Fazenda California begins a honey project in its preservation areas. Time seems abundant, as Luiz and Flávia create next to all this an environmental education program called “The Future is in Our Hands”, in partnership with the Environmental Institute of Paraná for school kids from Jacarezinho City.

CULTIVARS

Yellow Catuaí, Mundo Novo, Obatã.

Elevation

750 meters

NOTABLE

Luiz is more of a coffee scientist who happens to run a farm than a farmer. Every aspect of the growth and thriving of his coffee plants is thought about and tweaked through regenerative, microbial, fungal and other kinds of highly technical but natural growing and processing methods.

PROCESSING

Description machine harvested and patio dried in cherries for 22 days.
A very detailed step by step process after the cherries are manually picked. First, the cherries are soaked in cold water for 24 hours, then the cherries are pulped and fermented without water for 24 hours. After this, the fermented coffee is removed from the fermentation tanks and washed with clean water. The drying process starts with a centrifuge to remove any excess water before using the mechanical dryer with shifts of 12 hours drying and 12 hours resting until reaching a 16% moisture content. After this, the coffee rests for 10 days in silos in order to obtain a better uniformity of moisture content. The procedure of 12 hours drying and 12 hours resting continues until reaching a final moisture level of 11%. As a last step, the coffee rests for 45 days in the resting silos before going to the dry mill.
Manually selected ripe cherries, submitted to a controlled fermentation in anaerobic environment process in cherry for 96 hours, without exotic starter culture. Applying using own wild microbes from the on-farm facility in the airtight barrel. Afterwards dried as a natural, where it continues to yeast on the raised beds.
Cherries selectively manually picked and soaked in cold water for 24 hours, then dried as Naturals on African Beds for 21 days.
Competition coffee. Created for Flávia, when Luiz and Flávia celebrated their 20 years together. It’s a process that has different techniques. Firstly, fermentation in cherry in anaerobic environment, purpose to get lactic fermention and smoothness in taste. After this inoculation in starter culture, in to get density and complexity, all in airtight environment. Thirdly, dried as a natural, on raised beds. The purpose is to create a flavor bomb.
Competition coffee. Follows same steps as honeymoon. Created for Maria, Luiz’ youngest daughter. “Our little hurricane”. First step cherry ferment, then starter culture in anaerobic environment, difference with Honeymoon is that it’s pulped afterwards, and dried as a pulped coffee. Created for elegance in taste.

Cupping Notes

*Browse through our Tastify Archives on Google Drive.*

The price you pay for Fazenda California natural p/kg. We agreed on this price directly with the farmers, disregarding the volatile US Coffee C price.
Capricornio buys unsorted green beans (all grades) from farmers and pays them per 60 kg bag of coffee. Farmers can get a higher price for special processes. In this case, farm gate paid to Fazenda California constitutes almost 42% of the total FOB.

Capricornio pays the same premium farm gate price per 60 Kg bag for the micro, nano lot coffees

Cold Soul : € 4,81
Double Fermentation : € 4,81
Pérola Negra : € 4,81
Capricornio incurs cost to sort all grades of green coffee purchased from the farmer into different lots under the specialty grade spectrum like single farmer lots, blends, nano/micro lots and competition lots. Other costs borne by Capricornio include dry milling, grain pro, small holder training fee and exporter charges for sorting, shipping the coffees to the Netherlands.
The margins for rest of the Fazenda California Coffees are as follows :
Cold soul : € 1,99
Double Fermentation : € 1,99
Perola Negra : € 1,99
International shipping from Santos, Brazil to Rotterdam, Netherlands. It is inclusive of customs, insurance and warehousing costs.
Average financing cost owed to (mostly social) lenders. This ensures immediate payment to the farmers when the coffee leaves the farm or port.
A standard TSU premium on all coffees designated exclusively to accelerate farmers’ own regenerative agriculture projects.
This Side Up compensation for spending time and resources importing this coffee. Our work includes year-round contact with producers, managing export, shipping, import, warehousing, grading, sampling, finding and keeping roasting partners for Capricornio. € 1,55 is This Side Up’s Model 1 markup. For a full overview of our modular margin construction, see the Trade Models page.

Key Achievements

2019: Soon after our collaboration with Fazenda California begins, and in search of innovative agroecological practices to implement in the Fazenda California, Luiz and his team build an on-site laboratory to study the use of microbiological agents in its production system. The Obatã Honey Moon wins the Gold Medal at the Australian International Coffee Awards. And we include their competition lots on our offer.
2020: The on-site laboratory is a success. The use of microbial agents for pests and disease management, as well as for root systems and nutrient recycling, is scaled up. This same year, Luiz graduates as a Coffee Expert in the Coffee Quality Institute program Q-Processing 3.
2021: Fazenda California turns into an agroecological and agroforestry example in the area. Luiz and Flávia create a honey project in the estates’ preserved areas. The microbial project continues to evolve and a 4 years partnership with Federal University of Paraná to study the characterization of the microbiome of Norte Pioneiro do Paraná and its impacts in coffee quality starts. At the same time, Luiz and Flávia create an environmental education program called “The Future is in Our Hands”, in partnership with the Environmental Institute of Paraná for school kids from Jacarezinho City.
2022: Luiz travels to the Producer Crossover in Milan, where he shares the outputs of the microbial project, meets with roasters, and shares his vision. Our relationship gets stronger and we celebrate when he is elected as the first-ever farmer to become a board member in the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association).
2023: The This Side Up team visits Fazenda California, and see the microbial lab in its finished and operational state. The scalability and scientific approach to stimulate local microbial growth that improve the plant and soil health are amazing to witness. Later in the year, Flávia Rodrigues wins 1st place in the women in agriculture "Mulheres do Agro 2023" award.

Contact Luiz SALDANHA

Luiz Saldanha is always on the move and most likely somewhere close to you sometime in the year. He is one of the most sensitive to roaster needs and customised orders of all our partners - contact him to find out more how he can help you with your Brazil needs!

MANAGER Luiz Roberto Saldanha Rodrigues

EMAIL luiz@capricorniocoffees.com.br

TEL +55 14 3161 9060

FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM