Ivan and Rose | Brazil

Ivan's family has lived on the mountain for almost 40 years. Three of his siblings, including João and Gertrudes, have built on their father's legacy and expanded the family's coffee reputation throughout the region. Ivan, the youngest son, started his own farm on the other side of the mountain and called it Sitio Seriema, named after the Brazilian Roadrunner—an elegant, cheeky bird with long eyelashes and skinny legs that moves like a cat as it wanders through the coffee plantations in the valley.

With his wife Rose from the Jacon family in the neighboring valley, they're building their own coffee tradition rooted in what three generations of family farming have taught them.

Respect for the environment shapes everything Ivan and Rose do. Their farm sits at the top of the mountain where many of the area's natural water springs rise, including those that serve their neighbors and the local town of Caconde. They take the responsibility for protecting these resources seriously. This is the water that feeds their farm and irrigates the organic vegetable garden that feeds their family.

They've been partners with FAF Coffees since 2008 and have become local leaders, bringing neighbors into specialty coffee production with a focus on sustainability and total quality. Their energy in building new infrastructure for drying and storing coffee and teaching neighbors to roast and brew has turned the coffees coming from Sitio Seriema and its surroundings into something exceptional.

Ivan and Rose have married not just each other but the story of the mountain, written by their families over three generations, into the future.

This lot represents some of their most impressive work yet. Black tea depth opens with lift. Tropical fruit brightness comes through the mid-palate, complex and mouth-coating. Orange acidity keeps everything balanced and vivid. It's the fruit-forward coffee that reflects years of refinement and care.

For us, Sitio Seriema represents what makes direct trade relationships meaningful: families committed to quality, to their land, and to bringing the next generation into coffee with intention.

• REGION: Caconde, Brazil
• PROCESS: Natural
• PRODUCER: Ivan & Rose Dos Santos
• CULTIVAR: Red Bourbon
• ALTITUDE: 1200-1340m