About This Coffee
Beatriz Souza Guimaraes descends from a long line of producers steeped in over 150 years of knowledge and tradition. Even with her extensive knowledge, Beatriz never stops looking for new ways to increase quality and yield.
One way she ensures high quality production is by building extra processing infrastructure that makes it possible to separate cherry into smaller batches to process each cherry in the way best suited to bring out its particular flavor profile.
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 pulped. Parchment and remaining mucilage is then typically laid to dry in thin layers on patios. Parchment is carefully monitored and turned frequently to ensure even drying.
Treasures of EXPOCACCER
Producer-members of Cooperativa dos Cafeicultores do Cerrado (EXPOCACCER) cultivate coffee in Cerrado Mineiro and certify their coffees with the region’s Denomination of Origin.
In 2020, EXPOCACCER hosted a quality contest called “Treasures of EXPOCACCER” that sought to identify and reward high-quality coffees produced in Cerrado Mineiro. The highest-scoring lots were auctioned and the profits were delivered to the farmers to recognize their coffee’s superior quality.
Sucafina Brazil was proud to participate in Treasures of EXPOCACCER as a partner. We purchased 3 lots and are proud to have paid a premium that we hope will encourage a continued emphasis on quality.
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.