Lelena Oliveira

We’ve had a few great Brazilian coffees this year, but we couldn’t leave this one on the cupping table when we tasted it. Everyone loved it, and we wanted to have it on our shelves. When we spoke to the green bean company, 3 Brothers, they told us the amazing story of the farmer of this coffee – Lelena Oliveira.

Lelena Oliveira was born in 1947 in Espera Fliz, South of Minas Gerais. She was born into a coffee farming family. She started working in the coffee fields at the age of 9 when her father could not work due to injury.

Lelena married at the age of 18 and had three children with her husband. She acquired her piece of land when she was 32, to ensure that she could continue to grow coffee. Her husband passed away when she was 38, and she had to take full control of both her household and the farm.

Today, Lelena is responsible for the production of specialty coffee on the farm, with her children, grandchildren and her brother. The farm is called Sítio Moinho Grande, with an average altitude of 1160 metres above sea level and has around 16,000 coffee trees. The farms drying facility is made of a greenhouse, a stone patio and African raised beds. Lelena installed a pulper in 2015 and now most of her coffees are Pulped Natural.

During the harvest season, Lelena gets up early and by 6am she is already in the field watching the lots that are in the maturing phase. Lelena started seeing results in the regional coffee competitions in 2013 and by 2018, she became the champion for quality in the State Competition of Minas Gerais.

Lelena is a truly inspiring coffee farmer, whos hard work and dedication towards specialty coffee is inspiring to us here at Three Fools. When asked about the secret behind her coffee, Lelena states that “Love and Affection are Essential”. We couldn’t agree more Lelena.

We’re delighted to bring Lelena Oliveira to the bar and our shelves. It’s an honour to be associated with a producer such as Lelena. You can grab a bag in store or online here!