At Behind the Label, coffee is never just about what’s in the cup. It’s about where it comes from, the people behind it, and the role we all play in shaping its future.
This coffee is roasted for the Alckmin family, and with every bag sold, 50 cent is set aside to go straight back to their farm. These funds are ringfenced for farm level projects that support long term sustainability and community wellbeing. We are still in the planning phase, but early conversations are centred around initiatives like a community vegetable garden to improve local food security and or a bee colony.
Our aim is simple. Raise €2,000 and turn it into something tangible and meaningful on the farm. The projects will be developed in collaboration with the Alckmin family so they reflect what is genuinely needed, not what looks good on a label. When you choose this coffee, you are not just buying a bag of beans. You are actively taking part in that journey.
The Alckmin family has been producing coffee in the Mantiqueira de Minas region since the mid twentieth century. Their story begins in 1933, when Alcides Moreira, the great grandfather of the current generation, planted the first coffees on what is now Santo Antonio Farm. Today, the farm is in its fourth generation, continuing a legacy built on care, patience and deep respect for the land.
Set high in the mountains at altitudes of up to 1,300 metres, Santo Antonio specialises in high quality Arabica coffees. The terrain means all coffee is harvested by hand, a slower and more demanding process that plays a huge role in the quality you taste in the cup. The farm produces a range of styles including natural, pulped natural and fermented lots, always with a focus on balance, consistency and sustainability.
Under the leadership of Carolina Alckmin, Santo Antonio continues to push forward, refining processes at every stage from growing through to post harvest. Alongside quality, there is a strong focus on social impact, ensuring the people who work on the farm are supported, valued and given opportunities to grow.
Sustainability is built into how the farm operates day to day. Waste is carefully managed, by products are reused as fuel or organic material, and water and natural resources are protected wherever possible. For every two hectares of coffee planted, one hectare is preserved as native forest. The farm also uses solar energy, reducing reliance on non renewable power and lowering overall emissions.
Santo Antonio is part of a wider network of farms involved in meaningful community projects, including Frutificar, which supports greater participation of women across all stages of coffee production, and the Community Garden, where farm families grow organic vegetables together, improving nutrition and food independence.
This is coffee with context. Coffee with purpose. And hopefully, coffee that makes you stop and think for a moment about everything that had to happen before it reached your cup.
