The history of Sítio Fernandes began in 1974, when the family patriarch Mario Fernandes bought a piece of land in Pedralva, intending to invest in livestock and sugarcane production but a heavy frost that happened shortly afterward changed Mario’s plans. This frost made coffee prices increase, and Mario saw an opportunity there to improve the family’s living conditions by planting new trees. He prepared, planted, and even harvested his first crop of coffee, but two years later, in 1977, another frost hit the area and Mario considered giving up. It was his eldest son, Marcelo, who was preparing to move to another city for better study opportunities, that strengthened his father and, with him, decided to try coffee once more. Thirty years later, with the help of their family, coffee continued to be harvested.

Upon Mario’s passing in 2010, the farm was split amongst his sons, who managed the smaller plot sizes with more ease. The smaller land area meant more care could be put into each harvest, naturally increasing the coffee quality, but processing could still be shared. With increasing productivity and quality, the family has been able to improve living conditions on the farm and has inspired new generations to look for ways into the coffee chain.

This particular plot of land, Sítio do Balaio, is managed by one of Mario’s sons, Paulo Alexandre Fernandes. All coffee produced in this area is dried under the watchful eye of Paulo’s wife, Débora Fernandes, whilst he is responsible for the harvesting stage. For the future, they know that the big challenge is producing coffee of an even higher quality as the market is more demanding