Bonfim brothers continue the work of their parents and, together with their mother, present the grandeur of Chapadão de Ferrado to Agricultural News
We grew up being taught that every story has a beginning, middle and end. But after a few years following Brazilian coffee growing closely, I dare to say without fear of making mistakes that when it comes to one of the great agricultural powers in the country, many stories persist with respect, willingness to make things happen and day after day new lines are written in each new generation of a family.
Beautiful landscapes and good prose are also intrinsic characteristics of the coffee universe in Brazil: it is common to find each of these characteristics on farms spread across the country. It wouldn’t be any different with the Bonfim Family, our face-to-face stop at Cafezal Between the LinesFrom this week.
Approximately 25 kilometers from Patrocínio/MG, close to a crater of an extinct volcano, the Bonfim family received us to present with passion not only the particularities of the drink presented in the cup, but mainly the richness that exists in one of the most beautiful places in the world. Cerrado Mineiro.
Our adventure began with Dona Márcia, mother of the Bonfim brothers, who waited for us with conditions that are also classic in Minas Gerais: coffee, cheese bread, cake and a lot of stories to tell.
Márcia Maria Costa Bonfim was born in São Paulo and, like most of the coffee growers from the Cerrado, arrived when the coffee culture was still a novelty in the region and no one could imagine the power of quality and productivity that could be achieved there.
As I said at the beginning, every story has a beginning. And this began when Ms. Márcia and Mr. Ari met in Paraná, got married and a week later arrived in the Cerrado to work on a coffee farm.
Walking between the lines of coffee in Chapadão de Ferro, she remembers the good stories: “Here on this farm, Virgínia, we did the fertilization with a tablespoon so as not to make the wrong measurement. On this other one, we saw everything happen too”, she recalls.
The Bonfim family farm itself arrived a few years later when the grandfather made the border of land in the region. Gabriel, the eldest son, has experienced the coffee growing routine since he was a child, whether working on neighboring farms or in production itself, always keeping a close eye on his parents’ actions. The family grew and Cristiano arrived to complete the team.
The middle of the story happened two years ago when Arivaldo Bonfim passed away during the Covid-19 pandemic. The scare of losing one of the pillars of the family when the pandemic still raised many doubts for all of us, came along with the responsibility of continuing to run the business to maintain the legacy of a lifetime.
Between the trails of Lagoa do Chapadão de Ferro, Márcia remembers that it was a routine with coffee growing and service provision, but a life also built with a lot of companionship. “It was really hard, we did everything together, absolutely everything, I lost my life partner, but within what I believe, I know it was his moment”, she comments.
The work continued and a while later “Agro Bonfim” was born, the brand of the two brothers that bears the family name. Walking with Gabriel through the coffee plantation and asking about Seu Ari is seeing with your own eyes that the father more than passed on his legacy, they are looking for more: more technology, more quality, more opportunity in a production based on sustainability and passion for the region where the farm is located.
During this period, weather conditions were also challenges faced by the family. The unexpected frost in July 2021 also hit the crops, which are now starting to show signs of improvement, raising productivity expectations, always keeping the focus on the quality of the beverage. Achieving good scores, the Bonfim brothers’ coffee has also stood out in competitions at state and national levels.
Questioned about climate difficulties and current challenges, Gabriel, even so, says that there is no possibility of exchanging coffee planting for other crops, as happened in some farms in the region. “Coffee is what we know how to do, we learned a lot from my father. I was born here, I grew up here and I want to stay here”, he says, offering to go back to the cafe and end the day with another cup of coffee.
