About This Coffee
Ricardo Hirofumi Yoshimatsu’s parents established Fazenda Riacho das Varas in 1975. At the time, the farm’s location within Brazil’s Chapada de Minas region was not regarded as conducive to coffee agriculture. The family persevered, however, and they focused on showing that coffee from the area could be both viable and distinct. Ricardo continues this legacy and, today, focuses on high quality and further developing what is now an identifiable regional profile. Coffee is clearly part of his DNA, and his passion for quality makes his coffee stand out
Cultivation
Ricardo cultivates around 140 hectares of coffee on Fazenda Riacho das Varasand averages around 6,000 bags of green coffee per year. Varieties planted include Mundo Novo, Yellow Catuaí, Catucai 36/6, Catuaí 99, and Catuaí 144 varieties at 1,080 to 1,135 meters.
The diverse typography of Chapada de Minas, which includes flat plateaus and mountainous areas, provides the ideal environment for coffee cultivation. The region’s altitude, ranging from 800 to 1,200 meters above sea level, creates a cool climate that naturally encourages slow maturation of cherries, thus enhancing their flavor profile. This landscape makes the region suitable for both mechanical and manual harvesting. Coffee from Chapada de Minas is characterized by a medium to full body, along with a complex flavor profile that often includes chocolate and nutty notes.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Cherry is picked, meticulously sorted and then transferred to the drying area on site, using three rotary dryers and ten static drying boxes for 96 hours, supporting controlled drying for consistency at scale.
Brazil Region – Chapada de Minas
Chapada de Minas is an emerging coffee-producing region in southeastern Brazil, with roots tracing back to the late 1970s, when Portuguese families established the first plantations and introduced new cultivation practices. The region is characterized by high altitudes ranging from 800 to 1,200 meters above sea level. Characterized by diverse topography and a cool climate, the region provides an optimal environment for growing Arabica coffee.
As a transitional zone between the Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest, Chapada de Minas offers unique biodiversity, with mountainous areas interspersed with valleys and flat plateaus. This landscape makes the region suitable for both mechanical harvesting and manual processing. The region experiences well-defined wet and dry seasons, with temperatures ranging from 68 to 75 °F. High altitude and cool temperatures promote slow cherry maturation, allowing beans to develop a more complex flavor profile and denser structure.
While other regions of Minas Gerais have a long-established history in coffee production, Chapada de Minas is an emerging name focused on embracing modern farming practices. Like other neighboring regions, Chapada de Minas has shifted much of its focus during the 1990s from high-volume commercial production to high-quality specialty coffee, emphasizing terroir and sustainability certifications.
Although sometimes overshadowed by larger regions, Chapada de Minas is rapidly gaining recognition in the specialty coffee market for its distinctive profiles. Most coffee is processed using the natural method, resulting in balanced, complex, chocolatey notes accompanied by delicate sweetness.
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.