The story of Sitio Nossa Senhora Aparecida begins in the early twentieth century. A time when large estates were being consolidated to medium-sized farms and divided among their heirs. Many of these ‘large estate heirs’ in Brazil abandoned or rented out their lands.
Leticia Seda, a descendant of an Italian farmer, took advantage of the situation by acquiring and rebuilding a neglected small farm. She named it Sitio Nossa Senhora Aparecida and made a home for her family.
But making the farm economically viable was a bitter challenge. Leticia’s husband, Mr. Luis Henrique, worked 400km away to sustain his family and the farm. Leticia was in charge of all farm operations. She was often ignored by the coffee community: a sector dominated by men.
Still Leticia proved that she is no different from any other coffee farmer. Years of dedication, trial, and error forged a path for Sitio Nossa Senhora Aparecida’s specialty coffees. Today Leticia is the director of Mantiqueira de Minas IWCA and AMECAFE. She develops projects for more than 50 women in her region, producers and workers, with the purpose of improving their coffees.
