RNY On Location: Sitios in Brazil

Recently, Senior Trader Richard Borg and Trading Assistant Signe Owen had the opportunity to visit different sitios in Brazil with our long-time partner and friend, Legender Specialty Coffees. Signe is here to give insight into what sitios are, who Legender is, and why they work with Coopama!

Why We Work with Legender

Legender Specialty Coffee is based in Machado, Minas Gerais, where the owner Demilson Batista Jr. lives with his family. Undoubtedly, the success of Legender and Royal’s partnership can be confidently attributed to similar mindsets–we are both family-owned and operated companies. Moreover, both Royal and Legender focus on independent relationship, from the farm all the way to the roaster.

In a landscape of industrial farming, Legender presents a unique product. They source only from small, family-owned farms in Brazil called sitios. These sitios can be found in the mountainous regions of Machado, Poço Fundo, Campestre, and more. Legender currently works with 150 sitios, many of whom are members of Coopama. A farmer and agriculturally oriented cooperative, Coopama has worked with Legender since 2021.

Coopama, Legender & Sitios

Coopama was founded in 1944 with the intention of joining efforts with farmers in the area that would benefit from their support. Though many of their efforts are devoted to coffee, Coopama works in many agricultural fields, including vegetation and animals. In fact, they provide storage assistance, processing, feed and mineral factories, veterinary care, and consulting with animal nutrition and agronomy.

The relationship between Coopama and Legender is crucial for farming and exporting, though not every Legender sitio is a member of Coopama. That being said, Legender is still able to bring all their purchased coffee to Coopama’s mill for preparation. Interestingly, a skilled Coopama team works with Legender to cup every sitio coffee. They do this to ensure the highest quality.

Sitios that work with Legender complete the patio-drying process on site, and they use mechanical dryers when needed. Then, they take the dried fruit to a dry mill to be hulled. Once the cherry is hulled, the green coffee beans are taken to a Coopama dry mill to be examined for impurities. They’re sorted by size, cupped for evaluation, and stored in “super sacks” for efficiency and easier access. Finally, the coffee is put into Grain Pro lined jute bags before making its way onto a container to be exported!

Final Thoughts

Smaller farms receive the necessary support to produce high quality farms through Coopama. They’ve provided Legender’s sitios with storage, processing, and aid with equipment and agronomy, allowing them the protection of fazendas, or larger farms. Throughout the years, Coopama has allowed farmers to focus on quality over quantity. Truthfully, their partnership with Legender has given more people around the world the opportunity to try coffees from sitios.

Excitingly, we have many sitio coffees from our trip about to arrive! Stay tuned for upcoming blog posts about Brazilian farmers, their sitios, and what amazing coffees they have to offer.