Descendents of Portuguese, Adolpho Pereira Dias and Ines Bernardino da Silva had five children: Joaquim, Lindolpho, Jorge, Gabriel and Francisco. The brothers Joaquim Bernardes da Silva Dias and Lindolpho de Carvalho Dias had bought the Santa Alina farm in 1907, in a partnership. At the time, the property had grown to 80,000 coffee trees, of which 30,000 were type of Arabica, Red Bourbón. The partnership between the brothers was broken in 1918. The lands were divided and a partnership with Italian sharecroppers began. In 1929, Joaquim Bernardes de Carvalho Dias, son of Joaquim Bernardes da Silva Dias, took the Fazenda Santa Alina, starting the cultivation of 25,000 Red Bourbón coffee trees. The production of green coffee was around 6,000 bags. Joaquim B. Dias da Silva died in 1935 at age 63, and the following year, his grandson would be born the son of Joaquim B. de Carvalho Dias, who received the same name of his grandfather. The 1950s was marked by the formation of more than 30,000 feet of Red Bourbón on the farm, also because of the conclusion of 36 years of partnership with the Italians. In the following decade, began the administration of Otavio Jacinto, that intensified the planting of crops, expansion of terraces, the purchase of machines for processing coffee, tractors, agricultural implements and improvements in the farm infrastructure that made it what it is currently in both ways, logistics and cultural. Joaquim Bernardes da Silva Dias, heir of his grandfather’s name and land, took in 2001 the management of the Santa Alina farm, which passed in 2010, to his daughter Tuca Dias, in leasing scheme by the year 2011. Human resources are valued in the property, which has 70 houses in perfect condition to accommodate approximately 280 people, who come with free medical and dental weekly care, recreational club, a soccer field, Catholic and Evangelical churches and a help with a monthly basic food basket. Some of the residents form a committee that organizes events in order to promote leisure and social integration. Labor laws are respected and the safety department has an coach at the farm and a doctor, following all standards for supervision and guidance in activities that involve risks to workers, as well as to the proper use of protective equipment provided to them. In the environmental area, the law is followed as well, with the conservation of native and riparian forests, and a proper disposal of containers of pesticides.

Coffee processing system

Coffee is picked up, selectively and shipped on the same day to the processing structure, which passes through washer and green separator, and by the cherry pulper. The drying on a highest level terrace, with better air circulation between the grains, it provides a low incidence of fungi and bacteria on the beans. When necessary, the process is completed in a dryer with a boiler system, which maintains the temperature uniform, during the drying.

Commitment to quality

The output is monitored, every month, by a hired privately or Cooperative Cooxupe’s agronomists. There is a continuous investment in tractors and farm implements to improve the management of coffee. The producers are associated with the Association of Coffee Growers of Vale da Grama and the cooperative Cooxupe. The coffees produced are certified by Bettys & Taylors of Harrogate”, a traditional company in England in the fine coffees’ market. The first participation of the Fazenda Santa Alina in quality competitions was in 2005, in the 4th Coffee Quality Competition of Sao Paulo, sorting a lot among the finalists. Since then, she has been achieving success in many state and national competitions.