It was the diligence and care that José Carlos Velten, 43, dedicated to each coffee bean that resulted in his name printed on the label of a special edition of Realcafé Reserva. The rural producer from Alto Nova Almeida, in Marechal Floriano, was the winner of the last edition of the Realcafé/UCC de Qualidade Award, taking home a prize of R$30,000.

“With this money I have planted 3,000 coffee seedlings, opened roads in the middle of the land and invested in farming. Coffee is food, and as any other, the more you care, the more added value you put on the table of the consumer. To have this quality acknowledged as the best in the Capixaba Mountains is very exciting”, says the producer.

Velten is a sharecropper, but even though he does not own the property, he did not spare actions to care for the environment at the same time that he grew a quality coffee. “Around 40% of my production is of catuaí yellow and red group. We do not use pesticides or agrochemicals; we are very careful with the use of the soil regarding erosion and we monitor the whole development process of the coffee bean. It is hard work, but it is worth it”, states José Carlos Velten.

The Realcafé/UCC de Qualidade Award is a biannual event in Vitoria. Velten was awarded in 2017, and since then many things have changed for him. “I have gained visibility in Brazil and abroad. I had visitors from the USA, Japan and European countries to learn more about my coffee. It is very rewarding”.