Sítio São João

Acquiring the land was the first step. Many challenges followed, and made the family understand the meaning of resilience. With their teenage children, Mr. Jesus and Mrs. Maria das Graças walked or cycled around 18 kilometers a day between the city and property, until they began to ear-mark part of their earnings to purchase a pick-up truck. Recently, another dream has come true, the house at the headquarters of Sítio São João where the family lives during the harvest period.  

The evolution of Sítio São João was possible due to the collective work of the family called the Association. The sons plus a son-in-law, João Inácio, embraced Mr. Jesus’s cause and started to manage the coffee business together. They understood that in order to expand the business, it was important that part of the coffee profits were invested. They allocated part of the proceeds to a Carapina Family cash box. The cash financed several investments, such as increasing the production area, investing in new vari-eties and hiring agronomic consultants. The management of the Carapina Fami-ly is called the Association because they view themselves as an organization where each member is responsible for the production. João Inácio, Mr. Jesus’s son-in-law, is the field coordinator. He works mainly in production, overseas fertiliza-tion, product purchasing and accompa-nies the work of agronomic consultants.
Márcio is responsible for the yard during the harvest. Marcos is involved in quality management, as well as in the harvest During the harvest period, the whole family is concentrated on the property. It brings pure happiness to Mr. Jesus and Mrs. Maria to see the whole family involved, and the work of the collective taking place.