Artisan Roast: Brazil, Fazenda Cetec, Natural

CETEC is a quirky-named and high-quality-focused coffee farm in the heart of Brazil's main coffee production state, Minas Gerias. CETEC stands for 'Center of Technology of the City of Lavras' which sheds light both on the unusual story behind the farm and the goals of its owner and his late brother. Márcio Custódio set up CETEC, the technical school, with his brother Izonel Junior a decade ago. The brothers turned to coffee farming as well as teaching. Izonel died suddenly and his brother named the farm in honour of the school they had started together. CETEC is now beginning to get recognition for accessible, full-flavoured, high-quality coffee, and its success serves as a tribute to the memory of Izonel. At the heart of this success is a technical yet innovative approach to coffee processing.

Innovation very much sets the foundations for the uniqueness of this micro-lot. It has been fermented in sugar cane juice for three days just after picking before then being sun dried on patios. Soaking like this at the beginning of the processing stage with natural process coffees has two impacts which change the taste. Firstly it removes contact with oxygen which changes the in-fruit fermentation, and secondly it equalises moisture of the fruit which leads to more even drying.