Abelha is made with love in the heart of Bahia, Brazil, in the small town of Rio de Contas – a singular place with powerful historic, natural, and cultural heritage. The story of Abelha is so dynamic, it is difficult to sum of in just a few words. The distillery is a single estate, family operation headed by Marcos and Leide Vaccaro. Marcos coordinates all production, from the cane field to pot still and he is constantly seeking out ways to improve their organic farming and distillation methods. At 1,200 meters altitude, their land is ideal for Cachaça production, as the temperature differential between day and night produces sugar cane that retains an abundance not only of natural sugars, but other organic compounds and acids that add to its natural complexity. Marcos is one of the regions leading proponents of organic farming. His fazenda (farm) produces not only the exceptional sugar cane used for Cachaça, but he also cultivates fruit orchards and a coffee plantings. All farm waste is reused in some way and recycled. The vehicles and tractors on the farm are powered on the by-products from the distillate and Abelha is always look to improve organic technologies and infrastructure where possible. The Vaccaros are also committed to supporting the Rio De Contas community by building partnerships and improving organic farming technologies & techniques of their neighbors’ farms by teaching and helping them get certified by the Instituto BioDynamico (Brazil’s Official Organic Association). Once certified, the neighboring farmers can also help supply the distillery with organic sugar cane at a fair price, with the goal of increasing demand for organically farmed sugar cane to the benefit of all local farmers. But Abelha doesn’t stop there. They also support the local Rio De Contas Foundation, and the upkeep of the Chapada Diamantina, a Brazilian national park so locals and tourists can appreciate the region’s natural beauty for years to come. The production of Abelha has always and will always be entirely focused on improving local farmers’ living standards and the sustainability of their lands.
As for the Cachaça, Abelha takes extraordinary pride in their flagship spirit being a farm-to-bottle Cachaça among a sea of more industrial products. Their version is fermented from fresh sugarcane juices which are pressed from freshly cut cane and processed the very same day. The two Cachaças they make; Prata and Ouro are both expressive and refined. The Ouro in particular is aged exclusively in Garapeira casks. Garapeira is a native Brazilian Ash tree that is highly valued by producers of Cachaça for naturally enhancing their native spirit with a multifaceted layer of subtle sweetness and spice. For both, no sugar, coloring or additives.
Products:
