Last week, we embarked on 30-hour journey to make it to the picturesque hills of Minas Gerais, Brazil’s most renowned coffee-producing region. From impressive estates to humble family farm land, our adventure took us to 7 different farms on our Brazil Coffee Origin Trip. Each having their own unique or special element, and each as serene and beautiful as the next.
From meeting the dedicated farmers who cultivate the beans to building lasting relationships with traders, exporters, and the cooperatives. We exchanged ideas and knowledge with industry peers from across the globe. We indulged in some pão de queijo, celebrated with cachaça, and cupped ALOT of coffee.
Keep reading to meet some of the people and stories behind Brazil’s beloved coffee.
Sítio Baixadão
The first part of our trip led us up the rolling mountains of South Minas to Sítio Baixadão. Where farm owner, Sebastião, made history in 2014 when he won the Cup of Excellence in Brazil, with the highest scoring coffee ever in the competition.
The high quality of his beans is a result of the unique microclimate of his farm in the Mantiqueira mountains. His fields are at a high altitude of over 1,300 meters, and are protected from wind and any harsh weather.
For most farms in Brazil, the harvest finishes in September. However, Sebastião and his family can continue harvesting coffee until December due to the later flowering of their plants, slower fruit maturation, and their choice to prolong the harvest to ensure higher quality.
Next up: Rancho São Benedito
Located just outside the small rural town of Carmo de Minas. This region is renowned for its award-winning quality and for producing some of the finest lots Brazil has to offer. Rancho São Benedito has placed as a finalist in the Brazilian Cup of Excellence 5 times since 2002.
The land was inherited by Mariana de Carvalho Junqeuira back in 1954. She is now 96 years old and is still the ‘boss’! Today, Mariana’s son, Marcio, manages the farm but still takes expert guidance from his mother, Mariana.
Rancho São Benedito is committed to diversifying land use and the preservation and restoration of native vegetation. We tried amazing olive oil when we arrived at the farm which is one of the crops they have now diversified into.
Both farms we visited are members of COCARIVE.
COCARIVE
COCARIVE sells and exports specialty coffees, produced in the Minas region. It was established in 1961, with the goal of increasing productivity amongst the members and the quality of coffee they produce. Leading to members achieving better pricing on the world market.
Their team of agronomists and technical experts assist with cultivation techniques, machinery, storage and finally commercialization of the beans. Cooperative members send their coffee to the COCARIVE warehouses where it is graded and sorted for export. We were lucky enough to visit the COCARIVE HQ and got to cup 20 coffees from this year’s harvest.
Fully caffeinated with fresh coffees from the farms of COCARIVE, we headed onwards to Três Pontas. The next few days will be spent with SMC, visiting some of their specialty coffee farms. One of whom is where we source the specialty Brazilian beans that go into our Mestizo Blend.
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