Elson is an active member of COCARIVE, a local cooperative in Mantiqueira de Minas which represents some of the region’s highest alititude and highest quality farms, and with whom Caravan have been working for three years running. One of Elson’s primary goals with his farm, Sitio Sertaozinho, is to grow coffee in an environmentally friendly way. As such, his farm has special reserves for natural springs, native forests, and provides shelter for many local species including the maned wolf, armadillo, and saffron finch, among others.

Elson and his family harvest by hand on the five hectares they reserve for coffee production, picking only the ripest cherries over cloths on the ground, which are then gathered together to bring the cherries down to the farm’s production facility. The cherries are floated to sort out any under or overripes before being laid to dry on cement patios and watched over for careful drying for up to three weeks. Elson covers all the bases that contribute to quality – from healthy soil and plant diversity, to careful picking, to specific and skilled processing – with the resulting cup showing just how much of a difference this can make. Unique and rare flavours for this region are clearly present, such as blood orange and black cherry, with a clean and sweet finish.