The Coffee
Region- Mococa, São Paulo, Brazil
Processing- Natural
Varietal- Mixed
Elevation- 900 MASL
Tasting- Almond, Dark Chocolate, Vanilla
The Producer
Marco A. Guardabaxo
Fazenda Pinheiro is located in the rolling hills of Mococa, in northern São Paulo. Maria Silva and Marco A. Guardabaxo acquired the fazenda from Ruben Pinheiro in 2003 and planted a total of 9.5 hectares of coffee in 2007. Small lots of coffee had been grown on the farm for many years, however Maria and Marco greatly developed the farms output. The farm sits at between 800 to 900 m.a.s.l., with the coffee plantations lying in the flat plains of the farm and the eucalyptus trees spreading over the many hills. Since November 2003, Marco has been using his knowledge of agronomy to consistently renovate and expand the fazenda. Alongside modern farm infrastructure Pinheiro is also home to Our Lab, the Ocafi office and a roastery. Fazenda Pinheiro is our hub in the region and the true heart of Ocafi’s operations worldwide.
Ocaif's co-founder Luis's great-grandparents first arrived in Brazil in the 1800s and they settled in the Sao Jose do Rio Pardo region of São Paulo. His father's side of the family started growing vegetables on a piece of land called Sitío Novo, a name symbolic the fresh start of the recent European immigrants, whilst his mother’s family became involved in the woodworking industry. During the 1960s both sides of the family began working on Fazenda Pinheiro. Luis Sr. began building houses and coffee infrastructure on the farm, Maria Silva took a position as a student assistant in the farm’s office and Marco, whilst also studying and tending his herds, began helping his father Paulo who worked on the fazenda. During this period, their family grew with the births of Leticia, Livia, and Luis Paulo. Finally, after many years of ownership, in 2002, the Pinheiro family made the decision to sell the Fazenda to the Marco and Maria. Since then, the Guardabaxo family has been committed to transforming the farm into a sustainable business that produces high-quality coffee, whilst incorporating and synergising their pig farming operations.
A total of 10 different varieties are currently grown on Fazenda Pinheiro and these lots are either processed natural or with experimental fermentation. A drip-irrigation has been installed throughout the fazenda to ensure the consistent development and quality of the cherries. All trees up to the age of 6 years (or those larger than 1.5 meters) are harvested manually, with the older trees being harvested mechanically in a two-step process. Pinheiro has a total of 2,160m2 of terraces where the fruits are dried for 10 to 15 days. The beans are then distributed to 3 dryers to achieve the ideal residual moisture. Since 2021, Ocafi has planted 2 hectares of exotic varietals and is diversifying into a Agroforesta, with trees such as avocados being planted on the farm. Aside from Marco and Maria, their son Luis, the farm managers Pele and Pedro, and Ana and Fante on quality control, there are 11 resident families on Pinheiro. This workforce is strengthened with an additional 35 seasonal employees who assist during harvest time. It’s a close-knit team based on family and dedication to creating fantastic produce.
Pinheiro is dedicated to the local environmental and Marco and Luis utilise their pig herds to produce both bio energy, for Pinheiro and two neighbouring farms, and organic fertiliser for their coffee plantation. Rainwater is also collected and used in many of the farming processing. The Mata Atlantica Project (see our website for more info) started on Fazenda Pinherio and in the coming years will grow to Sao Domingos and Matâo. Alongside the beautiful native trees, the farm is host to a wide array of wildlife, such as Cervos, Tucanos, Quati, and Seriemas.
The Importer
A 2024 initiated partnership, Ocafi has become a cornerstone addition to Makeworth's rotation of importing network. At the 2024 Roaster's Guild that took place in Blaine, WA we met Sylwia, one of the managing partners, and quickly knew there were several significant value alignments. Ocafi immediately impressed our roasting team with their drive for transparent, sustainable and direct methodology. In addition to curating a wide variety of offerings ranging from community lots to microlot coffees, Ocafi is an incredible example of approaching coffee producing with a regenerative and innovative approaches. We are really pleased to source through this channel and hope you enjoy the selections provided, and cant wait to share many harvests for years to come from their diligent work.
The Roast
The Brew
Our Perspective
This coffee continues to give us new and fresh perspectives I'm being a specialty Coffee Roasting Company. While we are always fascinated and interested in exploring the most unique and expressive, often lighter roasted, coffees there is something so impactful about a coffee that roasts well at a darker level. for us we don't really "roast dark", this coffee is towards the darker part of our spectrum of roast level. Even so, our sensory notes shows really likeable and versatile remarks. it's got sweetness and a great balance of nutty/savory aspects.
Second, we cherish where this coffee comes from. Brazil is the biggest exporter of in the world and there's something so important about being in touch with the largest producing country. our partnership with Ocafi is a treasured one. They are our biggest volume supplier, I have truly helped us grow as a company what to bring really good approachable coffees that also committed to regenerative practices. we hope you enjoy this coffee as an integral part of our menu: you'll see it as a standalone single origin, as well as a fundamental part of many of our blends.
