03 Mar 2020
In Brazil we are investing in the construction of covered raised beds to dry high quality coffee for the Matão Women’s group in the area of Tomazina in Parana Estate. In 2013 the Matão Women’s group was officially created with 12 members; today there are now 24 women working together. This group of women improved their quality of life by improving the quality of their coffees.
Our goal is to help this community increase the quality and quantity of their specialty coffees, by offering them technical support. In the future we want to continue helping them to increase the community infrastructure for processing and drying specialty coffee lots. One of our focuses will also be to help them develop a training program to increase their skills on quality evaluation, roasting and brewing methods. One of the last steps will be to create a micro-roaster to industrialize a part of their production of lower screen coffees, in order to add value and earn a better income for their family. As well as good production and harvesting practices, the adoption of good practices in the drying stage is crucial for the development of the final quality of the lots. The use of African Beds in the drying process is known worldwide as a good practice to improve the final quality of the product.
In production environments, formed by small producers, the use of African beds not only allows a better separation of the harvested lots, but also provides the possibility of greater care in handling and drying control.
The main issue in this region that prevent producers increasing the quantity of specialty coffee lots is the lack of adequate infrastructure for drying. In this sense, the establishment of partnerships to enable the construction of African beds for farmers could generate a huge positive impact for the families of this community.
Toby's Estate sponsorship, will allow the group to build an additional 9 African Beds in the community.