The Flanzer family began farming in the Serra do Cabral (in the Chapada de Minas at the north of Minas Gerais) in the 1970s, when Henrique Flanzer – father of Marcelo & Roberto – bought land to engage in forestry projects. For many years, Ecoagricola was almost purely run for forestry. However, in 2000, Marcelo and Roberto (who had taken over management of the farm) began planning for the next 30 years, at which point they decided to diversify. They chose coffee for the great fit with the region: altitude, climate, water & terroir were perfect for coffee production. 

Special care is taken with natural lots. After being picked, the coffee is hand sorted to remove any additional underripe or damaged cherries. It is then delivered to raised beds or to the farm’s extensive patios, depending on space and climate at the time. Most lots will finish drying at very low heat in the farm’s mechanical dryers. In all cases, natural coffees are dried slowly so that they lose no more than 0.5% humidity per hour. Typically, on the first day, coffee cherries will be left on the patios (or raised beds) in a thin layer. After they begin to dry, over the following days, they will be turned regularly, making increasingly thicker layers until the drying cherries reach around 15-18% humidity. They are then usually finished in mechanical dryers, though some speciality micro-lots will dry entirely on the open-air raised beds.