Vinhal Cafés Artesanais

About Vinhal family

Vinhal Cafés Artesanais is a family business that started in 1988 when a charismatic and kind Zico Vinhal planted the first seedlings with his own hands. The business was passed down to his son Afonso, who has since been responsible for the daily activities at the farm and warehouse.

In a family-run business, not everything is down to one man. Afonso’s wife Marcelia is the one responsible for the microlots that Vinhal farms produce. Involved throughout the process, starting with manual sorting of cherries, she infuses them with the same love she gives to her family.

Rafael, the eldest son of Afonso and Marcelia is the embodiment of a coffee lover. That’s probably the reason behind his obsession with producing exceptional coffee. On his quest, he is not afraid of experimenting with new processing methods, so you can find in our offer coffees that have been double, even triple fermented but without the undesirable notes of over-fermentation.

Vinhal family grows coffee at Fazenda Recanto spreading over 120 hectares. As they purchased it, several giant African Mahogany trees already stood there, offering shade for new seedlings that the family planted. Sustainable production is therefore at the center of the family business, as Fazenda Recanto also bears the Rainforest Alliance, 4C and Certifica Minas certifications.

The coffee that Vinhal family produces stands out with its aromas and flavors, a result of innovate processing methods and passion. The coffee is dried on concrete patios, but the family also constructed raised beds where they dry their best lots, awarded many times over, including Cup of Excellence 2022 3rd place.

Scroll down for photos and even more information about the producers and their coffee.

More information

Farm Size

Fazenda Estrela – 50 ha

Fazenda Recanto – 120 ha

Altitude

960m – 1040m

Certifications

Region

Serra do Salitre,

Cerrado Mineiro

Coffee

ESTATE WASHED

Estate washed comprises of various coffee varietals as it falls in the category of estate blends. The cherries were harvested mechanically, after which they were washed to select only the ripest cherries. Depulping followed after which the cherries were fermented anaerobically. Drying was done first in mechanical dryers, after which the cherries were spread on concrete patios until they reached perfect humidity levels.

COCADA

Cocada is Rafel Vinhal’s signature coffee, surprising every year with its unique profile. Otherwise, cocada is a traditional coconut pastry very popular in Brazil, so you can expect notes of coconut.

This lot is a 2x fermented washed Red Catuai 144. After mechanical harvest and cherry sorting, Rafel let the coffee cherries ferment aerobically for 30 hours in a trailer that you can see on one of the photos above. Afterwards, he washed the cherries with cold water – thermal shock – to stop the fermentation process immediatelly.

He then peeled the coffee and again fermented it for 190 hours anaerobically with water which took place in the big blue containers you can see on the photo above. The coffee was then dried on raised beds.

HONEY PROPOLIS

If you’re looking for a sweet coffee to offer to your clients, you found it. As both other coffees, this Topazio was fermented twice. It was picked mechanically and then the good cherries were separated from the bad ones before they were fermented aerobically for 36 hours. Afterwards, Rafael cooled the cherries with water to stop fermentation – thermal shock. The honey process was applied at this stage, and then the beans without the cherries but still with some mucilage were fermented anaerobically for 122 hours. The drying stage took 25 hours.

The result is a super sweet coffee.

TROPICAL FRUIT

Unlike other microlots we offer from Rafael VInhal, this Catucai 2SL was fermented only once. It’s a naturally processed lot that underwent mechanical harvesting, washing to select only dried cherries, and then aerobic fermentation for 44 hours. The cherries were then immediatelly rinsed with water to stop fermentation (thermal shock). Rafael then began the first drying phase in mechanical dryers, after which he spread them on raised beds and let them dry slowly for 22 days.

FLORAL LEMONGRASS

This lot is a a 3x fermented, fully washed topazio. We’ll take you through the process.
The cherries were picked mechanicaly, and then underwent washing, so that only the ripe cherries were selected for this microlot. Dry aerobic fermentation for 61 hours followed, and then thermal shock to stop the fermentation. The next step was a dry anaerobic fermentation for 200 hours, followed by depulping and another anaerobic fermentation, this time with water for 124 hours. The initial phase of drying was done in mechanical dryers, and finished on raised beds after 22 days.

GRAPE STARFRUIT

Another lot by Rafael Vinhal that was 3x fermented, a honey Catuai 99. After a mechanical harvest, the cherries were washed to select only the ripe ones. A dry aerobic fermentation was the next stop, followed by thermal shock. The cherries were then put in container for a 180-hour long dry anaerobic fermentation, followed by another thermal shock to stop fermentation, and depulping. The final step was anaerobic fermentation with water for 124 hours, followed by drying in mechanical dryers and then on raised beds for 20 days.

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Contact Vinhal family

Have a question about a specific coffee? Write Rafael and start developing a relationship with him.