The Klem family estate, located in the Matas de Minas growing region near the city of Luisburgo, has a reputation for producing quality coffee recognized in several cupping competitions including a third-place finish in Brazil’s 2017 Cup of Excellence. But the Klem family is driven beyond quality. They have spent more than 50 years producing organic coffee on 430 acres. And by no means alone. The Klem family has a partnership with 50 families who work on the estates and share in the profits. This co-ownership has created an incredibly dynamic and efficient estate where bananas, avocados, vegetables, eggs, and honey are also organically produced. At the same time more than 5000 native trees are planted each year in the constantly expanding forest preserve. During the harvest coffee cherries are floated to remove less dense and damaged coffee, and then placed on patios to pre-dry before being moved to mechanical driers to precisely finish the drying to 11.5 percent moisture. After drying, the coffee is carefully stored until it is time for milling and export, which is also done at the Klem estate where they have their own cupping lab to ensure the quality of exported coffee.
