About This Coffee
Coming from the fuel industry, Lázaro Ribeiro de Oliveira approached coffee as he approached everything else, believing, “whatever you do, do your best”. Though he first grew coffee as a way to diversify his assets, he soon discovered his passion in coffee cultivation. Not long after he began farming, Lázaro switched to coffee farming fulltime and coffee became not just his primary business but also his passion.
Cultivation
Under Lázaro’s care and belief in always striving to do things as best as he can, Fazenda Congonhas has produced the highest quality coffee it can. Today, Gustavo Ribeiro has taken on his father’s mantel and continues his excellent work. Rather than resting on his father’s laurels, he has continued to make improvements in growing and processing techniques. Lázaro will be the first to tell you that he believes the improvements evident in the coffee are the product of his son’s hard work and unending pursuit of excellence.
Gustavo’s connection to coffee began very early on. He’s been immersed in coffee cultivation since he was very young. He has also inherited his father’s passion for perfection and is inspired to continue farming specialty coffee. Approximately 70% of the farm’s total production is specialty. In order to achieve the best quality possible, Gustavo Ribeiro chooses the most appropriate varieties for the climate and selects the best seedlings: for instance, the Yellow Catuai that composes this microlot. He also invests a great deal of time and attention in his harvest and post-harvest practices.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
There are a growing number of farms like Fazenda Congonhas 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.
Lazaro has also achieved Rainforest Alliance and Certifica Minas certification.
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.