Mió is a coffee farm in Monte Santo de Minas in Brazil owned and run by the Pellicer family. Mio name their microlots with dates that have particular significance. 1989 was the first year they were able to purchase a small plot of land to plant 6 trees to restart their coffee farm after the devastating frosts of 1975.

A third of the land is used for the coffee processing and milling facilities, some pasture areas and the plantation of eucalyptus trees, which is home to some lovely bees. The rest of the land is equally divided between the coffee trees and the native forest reserve. With plenty of spring water in the estate, one of Mió’s responsibilities is to not only maintain the water flow but to also improve water quality.

Dedicating the same amount of land to the coffee as to the native forest helps preserve the natural characteristics of the area. The farm is located between Southern Minas Gerais and the High Mogiana region. Two distinct terrains, one bringing a citric acidity, the other a full body and sweetness to Mió’s coffee.

Mió pride themselves on a 100% traceability guarantee for the entire crop every year. Each stage of the journey, from where the cherries were harvested, which trucks moved them, how and when they were processed, is tracked using satellite imagery. Being a technology-driven farm improves the farmworkers’ quality of life, ensures an abundant harvest and guarantees the highest processing standards for the crop.

Their state-of-the-art processing facilities include: a wet-mill, concrete patios, raised beds, ambient-air drying rotating machines, wood silos, cross-beater hullers and a density separator. The beans are then sorted further according to size and colour using an oscillating screen and optical-electronic system.

This lot is 100% yellow Catucaí and processed as a red honey. This involves the mechanical de-pulping of the cherries at the wet-mill while ensuring the mucilage stays attached to the beans. This sticky part of the cherry contains high amounts of sugar, resulting in a pronounced body and developed, chocolatey sweetness in Mió’s coffee.

The amount of detail Mió were able to provide on the journey of this coffee is quite incredible. Dates, times and locations of harvest, wet milling, patio drying, reseting, hulling and optical sorting as well as the names of the workers responsible. An extraordinary level of traceability that is achieved through their investment in technology and attention to detail throughout.