{"id":14349,"date":"2025-09-17T08:15:36","date_gmt":"2025-09-16T23:15:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/?post_type=producers&p=14349"},"modified":"2025-09-17T08:16:01","modified_gmt":"2025-09-16T23:16:01","slug":"fazenda-catanduva-ii","status":"publish","type":"producers","link":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/narratives\/producers\/fazenda-catanduva-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Fazenda Catanduva II"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n<\/div>
\n\n\n

<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In the early 20th century, many Japanese immigrants came to Brazil under labor contracts to work on coffee plantations in S\u00e3o Paulo. Over time, some were able to purchase land and establish themselves as independent coffee farmers\u2014a path that became a notable trend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mitsuo Nakao, a second-generation Japanese Brazilian, and his wife, Fumie, were among them. Initially, they cultivated a variety of crops in S\u00e3o Paulo, but eventually decided to specialize in coffee. In 1984, they relocated to the Cerrado Mineiro region of Minas Gerais, a land particularly well-suited for coffee cultivation.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n<\/div>
\n\n\n

<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Today, their grandson Victor manages the farm. He grew up in S\u00e3o Paulo until the age of twelve. After his father passed away, he moved with his mother to live with his grandparents, who were running the coffee farm. \u201cI watched my grandparents care for the coffee trees with so much love. Even in their eighties, they would go to the farm every single day,\u201d Victor recalls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, neither his grandparents nor his mother ever pressured him to take over. \u201cThey always raised me with the belief that I should pursue whatever I wanted to do.\u201d After earning a degree in engineering, Victor worked for a few years on the farm before spending about three years in the cement industry and later at a tech startup. His decision to quit corporate life and return home to dedicate himself fully to coffee came when his mother, who had divided the land with her siblings, asked for his help in running the farm.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n<\/div>
\n\n\n

<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s because I truly love coffee,\u201d Victor explains. \u201cAfter graduating from university, I studied roasting and brewing, and also managed a caf\u00e9 for nearly a year. During that time, I became more and more fascinated by coffee. Interacting directly with end consumers gave me insight into their preferences and needs, which has helped me design fermentation processes that are more readily accepted in the market.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even his seemingly unrelated experience as a product owner at a tech startup has proven valuable. \u201cI learned how to prioritize while managing multiple tasks in parallel, and I gained a sense of how consumers perceive price\u2014and how to use that perception effectively. The product itself may be different, but the fundamentals are the same: designing processes, working with people, and achieving goals together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n<\/div>
\n\n\n

<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In 2019, Victor made the decisive shift toward focusing not on quantity but on quality, dedicating himself fully to specialty coffee. He began experimenting with different fermentation methods and drying techniques to refine his approach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCoffee only bears fruit once a year, and you only see the results after the harvest is over,\u201d he says. \u201cThat\u2019s why I\u2019ve tried to run as many batches as possible, adjusting fermentation times, changing drying locations, and tweaking conditions step by step. You have to accept from the start that it takes time before results appear, and commit yourself patiently to the process. I think that mindset was ingrained in me from watching my grandparents and my mother dedicate themselves to the farm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n\"Spacer\"\n <\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n
\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n<\/div>
\n\n\n

A Spirit of Challenge Running in Their Veins<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

At the 130-hectare Catanduva II Farm, the annual harvest yields an average of around 7,000 bags. In 2020, five of their lots reached the final round of a contest organized by the Cerrado Mineiro cooperative. The following year, in 2021, one of their coffees placed 12th in the Cup of Excellence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur standout is definitely Paraiso,\u201d Victor says with confidence. \u201cAt the moment, about 10% of our production qualifies as specialty coffee, but I\u2019d like to increase that share. Next year, I think we could raise it to around 30%.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Victor sees a common thread between his grandfather and his mother: a strong desire for innovation, curiosity, and the drive to keep improving. His grandfather was one of the pioneers who introduced mechanical harvesting in the region, while his mother, as early as the mid-2000s, began adopting regenerative farming practices to reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Planting other trees between rows of coffee is part of that same approach. \u201cIn recent years, we can\u2019t escape the effects of drought, but I believe our efforts to restore the soil have helped minimize the damage,\u201d Victor explains.<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
\n
\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n<\/div>
\n\n\n

<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

That spirit of continuous experimentation lives on in Victor. He has taken courses on coffee fermentation, sought advice from consultants, and steadily carved out his own path. For now, the farm sells its coffee through traders and cooperatives, but his long-term vision is to open a roastery or caf\u00e9 that serves their own coffee directly\u2014bringing to life the ideal of \u201cfarm to table\u201d through coffee.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat gives me joy is hearing people say our coffee tastes delicious,\u201d he says. \u201cSome of our business partners have known my family since my grandparents\u2019 time, and they still share stories about my grandfather. That means a lot to me. And of course, I don\u2019t just want to connect with people here in Brazil\u2014I want to reach roasters and consumers around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":14351,"template":"","producers-category":[915],"cut_article_video":[979,983],"producers_area":[989,991],"acf":[],"toolset-meta":{"producers%e7%94%a8field-group":{"producer-kvmode":{"type":"radio","raw":"2"},"image-producer":{"type":"image","raw":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Catanduva_2025_article_00_TOP.jpeg","attachment_id":14350},"producer-name":{"type":"textfield","raw":"Victor Nakao Sasaki"},"producer-farm":{"type":"textfield","raw":"Fazenda Catanduva II"},"producer-copy":{"type":"textfield","raw":"Inheriting a Thirst for Innovation: Pursuing \u201cFarm to Table\u201d with Coffee"},"producer-oncup":{"type":"textarea","raw":""},"producer-favorite-farm":{"type":"textfield","raw":""},"producer-favorite-beans":{"type":"textfield","raw":""},"producer-image":{"type":"image","raw":"","attachment_id":null}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/producers\/14349"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/producers"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/producers"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/producers\/14349\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14361,"href":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/producers\/14349\/revisions\/14361"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"producers-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/producers-category?post=14349"},{"taxonomy":"cut_article_video","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cut_article_video?post=14349"},{"taxonomy":"producers_area","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/typica.coffee\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/producers_area?post=14349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}