About This Coffee
Fazenda 7 Cachoeiras lies nestled in the rolling hills of Brazil’s Cerrado Mineiro, just outside of the town of Patrocinio. Producers in the region recently achieved Denomination/Designation of Origin status based on the quality of their production. The Cerrado Mineiro Designation of Origin status extends to 55 municipalities in the state of Minas Gerais and is based on the quality of the soil, climate and cultivation practices of farmers in the region - not to mention the distinctive cup profile of their coffees.
Cultivation
This microlot is composed of 100% IAC 125 RN. This coffee variety was derived from a cross between the coffee cultivar Villa Sarchí and the Hibrido de Timor CIFC 832/2. The coffee trees are short and resistant to races 1 and 2 of the nematode Meloidogyne exigua and to all races of coffee rust, Hemileia vastatrix, present in Brazil. Developed by the Agronomic Institute of Campinas (IAC), improved varieties such as IAC 125 RN significantly reduce the cost of production for farmers – despite the decidedly unsexy name.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
There are a growing number of farms like Fazenda Cachoeira in Brazil that are focusing more on cup quality than volume. These farms approach growing, harvesting and processing with a great attention to detail. The altitude and volcanic soil in Brazil are prime conditions for growing the balanced, well-bodied coffees of Brazil. Wide, flat farms make mechanization easier and allow for reduced production costs, making Brazil one of the few countries with consistently comfortable margins in the face of low world prices. The relatively flat landscape across many of Brazil’s coffee regions combined with high minimum wages has led most farms to opt for mechanical harvesting over selective hand-picking. In the past, this meant 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. Most coffee in Brazil is produced using the Natural method. After harvesting and sorting, cherry is laid on concrete patios to dry. In the Cerrado Mineiro region, daytime temperatures can reach highs of 25 degrees Celsius. The evening and the morning can be very cold. Producers cover cherry with tarps during cold or rainy periods to protect them from the elements.
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.