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Coffee beans in Brazil

Beans / August 25, 2019

Brazilian Coffee Beans

Brazilian Coffee History

Coffee was introduced in Brazil by Francisco de Mello Palheta in 1727 from Cayenne, French Guiana. Today, Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer and is becoming a significant player in the specialty coffee industry. Bourbon, Typica, Caturra, and Mundo Novo coffee varietals are grown in the states of Paraná, Espirito Santos, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Bahia.

When the International Coffee Organization (ICO) and the Brazilian Institute do Café (IBC) set quotas for importing and exporting coffees, it protected a few producers in Brazil while deteriorating the specialty coffee sector. Since quotas were set, volume was expected. Unfortunately, the focus was on coffee prices and quantity rather than quality. The Brazilian coffee producers would mix together higher-quality coffees with low-quality Brazilian coffees to meet the demands of the quota system. The producers would then rename the coffees as Santos 1, Santos 2, etc. where Santos was the port where coffee was exported. In the early 90's the new government in Brazil broke the quota and protection laws for both the coffee and sugar industry. Subsequently, both the IBC and the IAA (sugar) were closed. This brought about a revolution in how coffee was exported in Brazil, thereby bringing about a reform in how coffee was grown, processed, and treated. Slowly the amazing variety of coffee available in Brazil became evident as consumers exercised their new right to purchase estate specific specialty coffees.

Today, Brazil coffee beans are not only used for coffee blending. Now that they are not pre-blended for us we can roast them properly to amplify their diverse characteristics. Then, if desired, we can blend the roasted coffees together to achieve a richer, bolder, and smoother espresso blend. Since the breakdown of the IBC and the quota system internal coffee consumption in Brazil has increased. Coffee exportation to the United States has also increased. Brazil specialty coffee is on the rise and Brazil should no longer be viewed as a country suitable only for blending.

Size of Coffee Plantations in Brazil

The vast majority of coffee farms in Brazil are less than ten hectares in size. According to the Diagnóstico da Cafeicultura em Minas Gerais, 71% of farms are less than 10 hectares, 25% of farms had less than 50 hectares, and only 4% of farms were larger than 50 hectares.

Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer and produces around 25% of the world's supply of coffee. Eighty percent of coffee from Brazil is Arabica.

Coffee Processing Methods

Source: www.coffeeresearch.org

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