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History of the farm

Léo began preparing to be a businessman by playing. His grandfather, Aprígio Tavares, whose name graces Fazenda Primavera’s quality laboratory today, took the young boy to the family’s roastery, where Léo interacted from a young age. The family has been linked to coffee since patriarch Aprígio Tavares planted and commercialized coffee in Ponte Nova, MG. He and son Ricardo Tavares, Leonardo’s father, bought 3Corações in 1980. Grupo Montesanto Tavares, created in 2000 following the sale of 3Corações, has four coffee trading companies. Today, at 34 years of age, Leonardo is the young entrepreneur who runs the group’s farms. His experience in logistics gave him the conditions to take on the challenge of running Fazenda Primavera, a 1027-hectare farm located in Angelândia, in the Chapada de Minas region of Minas Gerais. In 2018, during his second year at the head of the business, the farm won Cup of Excellence, in the Pulped Natural category, with a coffee of the Geisha variety.

The Chapada de Minas region, where the farm is located, is mountainous and has vegetation which mixes the Cerrado with the Atlantic Forest, conferring exuberant and varied biodiversity. With high relative humidity, weather similar to that of Central America, and loamy soil, the climate at Fazenda Primavera alternates between dry periods and intense rainfall. The coffee is planted both on flat plateaus and smoothly rolling hills and there are streams and rivers throughout the farm. There are mahogany trees planted together with the coffee, resulting in the production of shade-grown beans, that mature more slowly, conferring a sweet drink with unique characteristics. The coffee is mechanically harvested when ripe and is processed at a quality station with the utmost care. The farm’s history shows its capacity to repeat standards of quality year after year. A well-meshed team with years of experience contribute to this result. The group is responsible for social projects in all coffee-producing regions where it is active. There is a social project called “Coffee Solidarity,” which attends children and the elderly, offering courses in dance, theater, fashion and arts, as well as providing financial support to a nursing home in the region. Near the farm there is the project “Promoting Life and Health in the Field,” which covers around 100 families in the region and the farm’s workers and has the main objective of providing medical services, holding workshops about nutrition, vaccinations, controlling diseases, first aid, preventative campaigns, elderly and women’s health, among others.

Coffee processing system

The coffee was processed in the natural method. It was hand-picked by women. Then it was put in fermentation tanks and taken to African beds, without rest. After drying for 20 days, the coffee was stored in husk to rest until the competition. Samples from several lots were tested, but this one had unique characteristics.

Concern about quality

The mild climate, elevation and relief give special characteristics to the coffee. But it is the post-harvest processes and drying, rigor in the quality and management of the people that make Primavera an excellent farm, with coffees of very high standards and unparalleled flavors.