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Luzia Collective: A female produced coffee from Sul de Minas

We have sourced Brazilian coffee for a long time, and Luzia Collective is one of the projects we’re most proud to support and buy from. This communal lot is made exclusively from coffees produced by women in Sul de Minas, part of the Donas do Café initiative led by SMC Specialty Coffee. The result is a clean, consistent Brazil profile with strong traceability — a clear example of how quality, regional development, and social impact come together.

The Luzia Collective is about creating sustainable, inclusive growth for female farmers in a traditionally male-dominated sector. These are female producers, who are hands on with the product, managing key aspects of production and creating great coffee. The project not only ensures profitable conditions and fair payment, but creates a space for these women to collaborate with each other and share their experience and to access knowledge from professionals and industry leaders in a space that allows them to engage.

Each year, contributions from two medium farms and two small farms are carefully combined; this construction allows us sufficient volume while maintaining  a reliable, traceable relationship with this group of female producers, and a repeatable stable flavour profile that we love. 

Our main producers are

Marlene Magalhães Bachião, Sítio Prata (Nova Resende, 1,150 masl)
Born into a coffee-growing family, Marlene brings both heritage and innovation to her farm. She manages the day‑to‑day operations of Sítio Prata, alongside her husband. Despite higher elevation, the estate has flatter terrain, this has allowed Marlene to introduce selective mechanical harvesting to improve efficiency and quality.

Julia Riveiro do Valle, Fazenda Monte Alto (Guaxupé, 1,150 masl)
Visiting Monte Alto is always a memorable experience. Júlia is engaging and deeply passionate about coffee, conservation, and her family’s legacy. She works closely with her parents on the farm, where her father still stops by for espresso and a catch-up. As the linchpin of external relations, Júlia leads on traceability, marketing, and client engagement. Monte Alto has been in the family for over a century, now managed by the 7th generation, with a strong focus on environmental stewardship, social initiatives, and quality-driven production.

Carliane Guelere, Sítio Penha (Nova Resende, 1,100 masl)
At Sítio Penha, Carliane oversees post-harvest processing and quality control. A smaller farm by Brazilian standards, she and her husband Luís are deeply involved in every stage—from harvesting to drying to cupping. Both come from coffee-growing families, but set out to take a more focused approach to quality. Since 2012, they’ve worked together to refine their processes, aiming to produce distinctive, high-standard coffees year after year.

Aline da Penha Bernardes, Sítio Buscapé (Campestre, 1,100 masl)
Aline carries forward a generational legacy—learning coffee farming from her mother. Today, she’s in charge of administration and processing at Sítio Buscapé. Under her guidance, the farm runs efficiently and transparently.

Processing & Profile

Each contributor is working with processing protocols to create naturally processed coffee that is stable and distinct in profile. These techniques are learnt via agronomists within the cooperative and regular farm visits and check-ins, trial lots and regular cupping. Some producers have started piling, resting and covering coffee as it dries; whilst this increases the duration of drying and makes the patio management more difficult, the final product tastes great (and seems to have a longer life)! The profile we experience year-to-year is an elevated version of classic Sul de Minas profile, with lots of yellow fruit, caramel, very structured acidity and long sweetness. A versatile coffee and a crowdpleaser. 

Bridging the gap: Luzia Collective

While the project continues to grow — in 2024, negotiations increased 20%, with over 70 producers receiving quality premiums totaling more than USD 30,000. These bonuses fund farm improvements such as better equipment, infrastructure, and training. Contributing producers also have exclusive access to more workshops on regenerative agriculture, biological control, and cupping — bridging the gap between farm-level practices and the specialty coffee market’s demands.

Eliana Barreto, who runs the small Nova Toscana farm, says:
“Specialty coffee brings recognition to those who produce it. It’s not an easy job — especially for smallholders. But with this platform, it all feels worth it.”

Empowerment in Action: Caxambú Field Day

The producers got together for a Field Day, for hands-on learning and sharing of experience, hosted at Caxambú and Aracaçu farms in Três Pontas. Led by Carmen Lúcia “Ucha” and her team, including Dionatan Almeida, 2024 World Cup Tasters Champion, the event was about innovations in sustainable coffee farming, the importance of medium- and long-term strategies, and the vital role these women play in shaping Brazil’s coffee future. Ucha’s farm is a model for the region and reflects her remarkable leadership and vision.

On our Offer list

We aim to offer Luzia Collective consistently as part of our Brazil offer list and the lot will arrive in our Belgium warehouse from August onward. If you’re after a clean, traceable Brazilian coffee with solid structure and a positive social impact, Luzia is a good choice. We also identified an opportunity to create a peaberry product, something that had not yet been done by the cooperative. Through collaboration with their quality team, we managed to create a trial lot of 30 bags last year, and plan to have more on the offer list in 2025.

Interested in reserving volume or tasting samples?
Reach out to your sales rep or check Luzia Collective on our offer list.

Written by
Anne Thiess
Published on

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