BRAZIL Sítio Joaninha Arara – Espresso

When young, Valdir José Ferreira spent his holidays on his grandparent’s farm in Caconde. Years later, he moved to the region to run the farm, bringing his parents with him. Valdir married Daniela, the neighboring farmer’s daughter, and they now have two children, Carlos Eduardo and Emanuele.

The farm is named Sítio Joaninha after the ladybug (Joaninha in Portuguese) because Valdir’s mother, Maria de Lourdes, played with ladybugs in the coffee fields as a child. Her father told her they were good for the coffee trees since they ate harmful insects.

When agrochemicals became popular, ladybugs, butterflies, and bees disappeared from the farm. To change this, the farmers of Boa Vista Valley, along with FAF, worked towards growing better quality coffee while caring for the environment and water resources for the wellbeing of their families and neighbors.

Maria de Lourdes was so happy with these efforts that she suggested renaming the farm Sítio Joaninha to symbolize the mission of bringing the ladybugs back. Since then, Valdir and Daniela have been improving the quality of their coffee and caring for the environment, ensuring a sustainable future for their family and community.