Wild Jacu Bird, Coffee

The Camocim Estate, with just 50 hectares of land under coffee cultivation, is one of the smallest coffee plantations in Brazil. Located in Pedra Azul, Espirito Santo, the small coffee estate is home to a native South American bird called the Jacu. These indigenous birds inhabit the forest and feast on only the very ripest coffee cherries produced in the forest shade. Once the Jacu bird has ingested the cherry, it goes through its digestive system and the local villagers collect the odourless droppings, composed of the extremely rare coffee beans, and transport them to the drying areas where they are dried, cleaned and stored in their parchment for up to three months. The result of this laborious, unique process is a sweet, full-bodied specialty coffee that is more acidic than typically found in the region, with a clean, smooth aftertaste and no bitterness.