Since the coffee plants arrival into the country over 150 years ago, Brazil has held the crown for world coffee production. With consistent demand from European and North American countries, Brazil has rivalled the opportunity for continued growth.
Boasting a large range of microclimates across its vast expanse in South America, Brazil is home to roughly a third of coffee produced worldwide, including some of the world’s finest and most sought-after specialty coffees. Home to many dedicated coffee producing farms of different sizes and specialties, coffee is one of Brazil’s key exports.
The art of producing and processing coffee provides a livelihood for thousands of farmers and families across the region, and is pivotal in supporting the development of local communities. Coffee in some ways, was the trampoline for Brazil to launch itself into prominence, and the unwavering commitment to quality by producers over the years is a testament to just how important coffee is to the country, and its people. In fact during the 19th century, Brazil’s reputation was built largely on the coffee it produced.
Located in the southeast of Brazil, and making up a significant portion of the countries overall coffee production, is Minas Gerais. The reputation of Minas Gerais speaks for itself in the coffee industry, despite it only using a small percentage of its land for harvesting coffee. Due to the large expanse of the region, Minas Gerais boasts an impressive diversity in its terroir, with a range of microclimates and altitudes. With this landscape diversity comes an amazing array in tasting notes, complexities, and acidities across the coffees grown in the region, each with their own unique distinct flavours.
Minas Gerais accounts for nearly 50% of Brazil’s arabica production, however it is also the region best known for specialty coffee. Whilst high volume production often results in a reduction in quality, this is not the case in Minas Gerais. As producers are exposed to innovations and technology in the coffee space, they are evolving their planted varietals and processes to produce high quality, specialty coffee. This progression does not stop at quality however, with many Brazilian farms adopting global trends towards sustainably practices. Shade-grown coffee, innovative agroforestry systems and organic cultivation methods have all been adopted by various producers across the region, and continue to align themselves with environmentally friendly agriculture trends going into the future.
Beyond the economic importance and sustainable practices however, the production of coffee to this day and going forward proves to be a homage to Brazil’s agricultural roots, preserving practices which Brazilians have undertaken for centuries.
The art of producing and processing coffee provides a livelihood for thousands of farmers and families across the region, and is pivotal in supporting the development of local communities. Coffee in some ways, was the trampoline for Brazil to launch itself into prominence, and the unwavering commitment to quality by producers over the years is a testament to just how important coffee is to the country, and its people. In fact during the 19th century, Brazil’s reputation was built largely on the coffee it produced.
Located in the southeast of Brazil, and making up a significant portion of the countries overall coffee production, is Minas Gerais. The reputation of Minas Gerais speaks for itself in the coffee industry, despite it only using a small percentage of its land for harvesting coffee. Due to the large expanse of the region, Minas Gerais boasts an impressive diversity in its terroir, with a range of microclimates and altitudes. With this landscape diversity comes an amazing array in tasting notes, complexities, and acidities across the coffees grown in the region, each with their own unique distinct flavours.
Minas Gerais accounts for nearly 50% of Brazil’s arabica production, however it is also the region best known for specialty coffee. Whilst high volume production often results in a reduction in quality, this is not the case in Minas Gerais. As producers are exposed to innovations and technology in the coffee space, they are evolving their planted varietals and processes to produce high quality, specialty coffee. This progression does not stop at quality however, with many Brazilian farms adopting global trends towards sustainably practices. Shade-grown coffee, innovative agroforestry systems and organic cultivation methods have all been adopted by various producers across the region, and continue to align themselves with environmentally friendly agriculture trends going into the future.
Beyond the economic importance and sustainable practices however, the production of coffee to this day and going forward proves to be a homage to Brazil’s agricultural roots, preserving practices which Brazilians have undertaken for centuries.