The story of Daterra begins with Luis Pascoal and a farm called Franca in Brazil. Franca was the first piece of farmland Luis purchased, and it became his testing ground for agricultural experiments. After trying out various crops, Luis decided that coffee could be his future—if only he could grow it on a larger scale. Enter his good friend, Dr. Ernesto Illy, who had the perfect advice: “If you want to make this work, head to Cerrado in Minas Gerais. The climate and topography there are just right for producing quality coffee at scale.”
Following this advice, in 1993, Luis bought Fazenda Boa Vista, and a year later, Fazenda Taboues. While Franca now plays a smaller role in coffee production, these two farms are the heart of Daterra. Together, they span 6,200 hectares, with 2,800 hectares dedicated to coffee cultivation. Remarkably, over 50% of the land is reserved for conservation—even though Brazilian law only requires 20%.
Daterra’s coffee not only meets expectations but consistently exceeds them. The farm produces an average of 85,000 bags of green coffee annually, with 70% of that classified as specialty grade, scoring above 80 points. This achievement is no small feat, especially in challenging climatic years. Currently, 70% of Daterra’s coffee plants are irrigated, with plans to reach 100% by 2030. The water used is harvested from rainwater and runoff during the wet season and recycled during the dry season from reservoirs at Boa Vista and Taboues.
Given how frequently we visit Daterra, a full trip report would likely cover much of the same ground as previous years. Instead, I’ll focus on some of the exciting new developments and projects Daterra is currently working on, including the Nursery and Compost Project. A huge thank you to the incredible group of roasters who joined Thierry and me on this year’s trip. And of course, to Gabriel, Diulie and Beatriz for hosting us so warmly.
Nurturing the Future: Daterra’s Nursery
At Daterra, coffee begins in the nursery. Each year, 900,000 seedlings are cultivated—an essential part of their long-term vision. It all starts with long troughs filled with sand, where seeds are carefully planted and covered with a fine layer of sand. Watering begins, and the seeds are covered with a black fabric to simulate the darkness needed for germination. After two to four weeks, the first signs of life appear. Once the seedlings break through the sand, the fabric is removed, and the sprouts are exposed to light.
At around three months old, the seedlings are transferred to cell trays filled with fertilizer, potassium, nitrogen phosphate, and coconut fibre. The seedlings undergo stress testing to prepare them for the field. Over the next three months, they’re exposed to less water and more direct sunlight, managed by the controlled net roofs above the cell trays. Once hardened, the seedlings are ready to be planted in the field.
These trays are significantly easier to work with than the plastic bags Daterra previously used. One of the most notable improvements is that the seedlings can be removed and dropped directly into prepared holes, with their root structures holding the compost together. This eliminates the need for the bag-cutting stage, which required farmers to bend over and tear the plastic away from each seedling. Additionally, this new method eliminates the use of 900,000 single-use plastic bags each year.
By cultivating their own seedlings on-site, Daterra maintains control over quality, reducing the risk of poor crops that could come from buying seedlings on the open market. Since it takes up to three years to truly understand the quality of a newly planted seedling, Daterra ensures that quality begins at the very start of the coffee production process.
Composting: A Science and an Art
At Daterra, composting is both a science and an art. Each year, 14,000 tonnes of compost are produced from organic materials like cherry skins, parchment, and rock powders. Joao, the head of the composting unit, oversees this crucial process. The compost is aerated twice daily to prevent overheating, which could lead to uncontrolled fermentation. As Joao often says, “If it smells bad, you’re doing it wrong.”
A unique part of Daterra’s composting system involves phosphorus. After coffee is milled, the parchment is sent to a local cattle farm in Patrocínio, where it’s used as bedding for cows. Over the course of the 12-month coffee cycle, the cows naturally enrich the parchment with nitrogen and phosphorus. When the next crop is ready for harvest, the nutrient-packed bedding is returned to the compost heap in exchange for the fresh parchment, completing a sustainable cycle.
And what about bananas? I’m sure that question is on everyone’s mind. At the base of the compost heaps, newly planted banana trees flourish. Gabriel insists they are the sweetest in Brazil, thanks to the potassium-rich soil from the compost runoff. These bananas are kept on-site and sent to the canteen, providing a perfect snack for the workers.
Even with this intensive composting system, the farm’s organic compost only supplies about 10% of the farm’s fertilisation needs due to the volume and efficiency of chemical alternatives. However, the work continues, with the goal of increasing the use of organic compost over time.
Cupping at Daterra: Where Quality Begins
At Daterra, cupping plays a pivotal role in their entire operation. The results from these cuppings determine when the cherries are ready for harvest and help craft the menu for their mise en place coffee offerings.
Cupping at the production labs is essential for pinpointing the optimal timing of the harvest. Agronomists sample ripe cherries from the top, middle, and bottom of the trees across the 219 different sections of the farms throughout the harvest season. The cherries are then dried in a sample dryer and roasted on Probat barrel roasters for pre-harvest cupping. This careful process is often repeated multiple times during the harvest, with separate sessions for each of the 219 sections. It is not uncommon for the QC team to conduct over 1,000 cupping sessions throughout the season to determine the best time to pick.
Thanks to the UNIPAC smart processing unit, Daterra can also sort cherries by maturity level—whether in terms of sweetness, fruitiness, or acidity—after harvest. This data is combined with results from the pre-harvest cupping to ensure the Daterra menu remains consistent year on year, regardless of climatic variations.
Daterra operates three cupping labs that work seamlessly together to achieve these goals. There is a client lab at Boa Vista, a production cupping lab at the Boa Vista plant, and another production lab at their Taboues farm. During our visit, we spent considerable time with the central QC team—Edna, Joane-Kelly, and Leandro—cupping the new crop. We had the pleasure of tasting classics like Bravo, Montecristo, and Sunrise, which scored between 82 and 85, as well as selections from the Collection menu—Sweet Yellow, Full Bloom, and Stardust—ranging from 85 to 88. We also previewed a few potential Masterpieces, which have since been confirmed.
The Challenges of the 2024 Crop
The start of 2024 held promise for Daterra’s coffee crop, but nature had other plans. A lack of rainfall between February and April slowed the cherries’ development, despite the farm’s irrigation efforts. By July, the trees were stressed and started producing ethylene, causing rapid fruit maturation. This led to an early harvest, with 95% of the crop collected by mid-August.
While tree-dried naturals excelled, the quality of pulped naturals—dependent on perfectly ripe cherries—suffered. Green and underripe cherries also found their way into the mix due to the hurried harvest. Despite these challenges, Daterra continues to push forward, using data from their cupping labs and smart processing systems to maintain high standards of quality. Click here to find out more.
An Unforgettable Experience
Our visit to Daterra was nothing short of inspiring. Gabriel and his team welcomed us with open arms, sharing their deep passion for coffee and their innovative approach to sustainability. Both Thierry and I left with a renewed appreciation for Daterra’s mission. Daterra is more than just a coffee farm—it’s a vision for the future.
