The story of this coffee plantation begins back in 1990.
At that time, Mom and Dad, Abraão and Aparecida, still worked as sharecroppers. Life was about making a living from land that wasn't theirs, but within them lived a very simple and profound dream: to have a farm that was truly theirs. A place where their children could grow, learn, and work together.
They had almost nothing, but they had courage. They harvested the seeds, made the seedlings, and slowly transported everything by oxcart to the place where that farm would grow.
That's how the Laias Farm began.
But right at the beginning came a big challenge. Shortly after planting, Dad had to go to the hospital because of his health. Before leaving, he asked Mom to hire some workers to take care of the farm while he was away.
But nobody wanted to go.
The land was very steep, slippery, and difficult to work.
So Mom decided she would take care of it herself.
For twenty consecutive days she went to the fields alone. She left home at six in the morning and stayed there until two in the afternoon, tending to each little seedling they had planted with so much hope.
When Dad returned from the hospital, the first thing he asked was how many workers he needed to pay.
Mom answered very simply:None.
At that moment, Dad cried.
I believe that all that love, companionship, and unity between the two still lives on in that field. It continues to produce to this day. And it's not just coffee.
Those who drink attentively can feel a bit of that story in the cup. A bit of that strength to stay, to believe, and to continue even when it seems difficult.
Today I am the guardian of a piece of that story. One of the plots of that field that we call the Ribanceira Plot.
And from that same piece of land, three interpretations of this coffee were born.
F1 with anaerobic fermentation for 168 hours
F2 with anaerobic fermentation for 144 hours
F3 with anaerobic fermentation for 192 hours
These are three different timeframes showing unique nuances of the same place.
In the end, I learned one thing looking at this crop:
Resilience is not brute force.
Resilience is perseverance.
