About This Coffee
The Klem family patriarch, Nagipe Viana Klem began cultivating coffee in the mid-1950s. Nagipe was always a man ahead of his time and was interested in environmentally-friendly ways to produce coffee long before it was a common topic. He taught his children, César, Sérgio, Moacir and Cláudio, about coffee production and today the children operate 11 plots of their farm in the countryside of Luisburgo in Minas Gerais. Nagipe’s children combine the knowledge from their father with modern techniques and technologies, creating an innovative and forward-thinking coffee business.
When his children took over as the new owners in 2010, they began participating in coffee fairs and noticed that there was a large interest in specialty coffees. They decided to make large investments in land, dryers and a greenhouse with raised beds, and began participating in quality competitions.
Cultivation
Klem Farms are located at 900 to 1,200 meters above sea level in the mountainous relief of Matas de Minas. Average annual temperatures are between 18ºC to 25ºC and an ideal rainfall index provides excellent conditions for coffee cultivation.
They follow strict criteria of ethical standards in the relationship with their employees and service providers, complying with labor standards, worker protection and respect for the environment. Klem farms are always focused on environmental awareness, planting their crops in an ecologically-correct manner, respecting native areas and preserving springs, flora and fauna. They have ensured the quality of their coffees and provided means for social advancement for their employees and the communities where they work.
Brazil Harvest & Post-Harvest
Most Brazilian coffee is grown on huge farms, built and equipped for mechanical harvesting and processing that are designed to maximize productivity. The relatively flat landscape across many of Brazil’s coffee regions combined with high minimum wages has led most farms to opt for this type of mechanical harvesting over selective hand-picking.
In the past, this mechanization meant that strip-picking was the norm. However, today’s mechanical harvesters are increasingly sensitive, meaning that farms can selectively harvest only fully ripe cherries at each pass. This is great news for specialty-oriented producers.
In many cases and on less level sections of farms, a mixed form of ‘manual mechanized’ harvesting may be used. The derricadeira – a sort of mechanized rake that uses vibration to harvest ripe cherry - can be used to selectively pick ripe cherry more quickly and cost-effectively than individual hand pickers. A tarp is spanned between coffee trees to capture the cherry as it falls.
With the aid of these newer, more selective technologies, there’s a growing number of farms that are increasingly concerned with – and able to deliver - cup quality.
After harvest, cherry is typically laid to dry in thin layers on patios. Under direct sunlight, cherry is carefully monitored and turned frequently.
Coffee in Brazil
Just under 40% of all coffee in the world is produced in Brazil - around 3.7 million metric tons annually. With so much coffee produced, it’s no wonder that the country produces a wide range of qualities. Brazil produces everything from natural Robusta, to the neutral and mild Santos screen 17/18, to the distinctive Rio Minas 17/18. In recent years, Brazilian producers have also begun investing more heavily in specialty coffee production. Through our in-country partners in Brazil, including our sister company, we are able to provide a wide range of Brazilian coffees to our clients: from macrolot to microlot.
Today, the most prolific coffee growing regions of Brazil are Espirito Santo, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia. Most Brazilian coffee is grown on large farms that are built and equipped for maximizing production output through mechanical harvesting and processing. The relatively flat landscape across many of Brazil’s coffee regions combined with high minimum wages has led most farms to opt for this type of mechanical harvesting over selective hand-picking.
In the past, mechanization meant that strip-picking was the norm; however, today’s mechanical harvesters are increasingly sensitive, meaning that farms can harvest only fully ripe cherries at each pass, which is good news for specialty-oriented producers.
In many cases and on less level sections of farms, a mixed form of ‘manual mechanized’ harvesting may be used, where ripe coffee is picked using a derriçadeira – a sort of mechanized rake that uses vibration to harvest ripe cherry. A tarp is spanned between coffee trees to capture the cherry as it falls.
With the aid of these newer, more selective technologies, there’s a growing number of farms who are increasingly concerned with – and able to deliver - cup quality.