Fazenda California, owned by Saldanha Family, is located in the Brazilian subtropical region of the so-called Norte Pioneiro do Parana. This region is characterized by being the area adjacent to southern Brazil able to develop coffee plantation without the low temperatures of the winter period, hindering the activity. The coexistence of volcanic soils of high fertility, good distribution of rainfall throughout the year and the binomial established between its average elevation of 750 meters and latitude 23oS result in a micro climate with average annual temperature of 20oC, with four well defined seasons and a wide temperature range, turning this portion of land into an extraordinary environment for the development of the high quality Arabica coffee lots.

In 2004, the family Saldanha Rodrigues acquired the farm. Being a visionary, the entrepreneur, Dr. Paulo Cesar Saldanha Rodrigues, who always said that “You can always do things better,” started a new cycle of coffee plantations on the property. A tragic plane crash in late 2004, prevented Dr. Paulo from seeing his dream come true, though. However, the project for production of specialty coffees continued. Luiz and Flavia Saldanha studied Agronomy at ESALQ/USP, one of the best Brazilian agricultural universities and stepped into Paulo’s footsteps to pursue that dream. Today, the farm had 100% of its coffee production renewed. Its structures and production processes, harvesting, wet mill, drying, storage and dry mill were upgraded and a management system of sustainable production was set, adapting the property to the highest levels of the globalized market demand. Nowadays, with the mission of producing high quality food for the consumer, society and the environment, husband and wife, who are both Q-Graders, share the same love for coffee quality and dream of extending this passion for the next generation. Heloisa and Maria, their daughters, live in this beautiful “terroir” and will be the ones to continue the family tradition.

It’s difficult to describe just how passionate the Saldanha family is about the production of excellent coffee. Their backgrounds in agronomy and insatiable appetites for knowledge means they are constantly changing and innovating to improve quality and production on the farm. Every detail from plant nutrition, solar radiation levels, rainfall patterns, through to BRIX levels of cherries, ambient temperature and humidity, are all carefully considered to create the finest quality coffee possible. In the quest for perfection, the Saldanha’s isolate and grow their own yeast and microbial cultures for cherry inoculation in their nano lots. Both Luiz and Flavia are certified Q-Graders, and Luiz is also a certified Q-processing instructor.