[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n
It\u00a0<\/span>turns out\u00a0<\/span>there has been\u00a0<\/span>one<\/span><\/i>\u00a0good thing that\u2019s happened so far in 2020:\u00a0<\/span>Weather so perfect for\u00a0<\/span>the most recent<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>harvest\u00a0<\/span>in Brazil\u00a0<\/span>that<\/span>\u00a0we can\u2019t wait to tell you all about the<\/span>\u00a0coffee\u2019s we\u2019ll begin receiving\u00a0<\/span>shortly<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Although<\/span>\u00a0we\u00a0<\/span>were<\/span>n\u2019t able to experience\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a02019\/2020 season\u2019s<\/span>\u00a0ideal conditions\u00a0<\/span>for<\/span>\u00a0ourselves<\/span>\u2014the first time in many years we haven\u2019t visited Brazil at least five times\u2014<\/span>we did recently sit down\u00a0<\/span>over Zoom\u00a0<\/span>with our export partners at CarmoCoffees and Bourbon Specialty Coffees to get<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>update<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>about the coffees<\/span>, the effects of Covid-19 on the producing communities and regions, and a glimpse at the future.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Here\u2019s a bit of what we learned and what we\u2019re expecting to see from Brazil this year.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-17.jpg” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”A Record Year” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n A Record Year<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Volumes are up all over Brazil this year, and Reuters estimates the crop-year production of nearly 67 million 60-kilogram bags, surpassing the previous all-time record of 62.6 million bags in 2018. Of that figure from this year, Arabica coffee comprises about 45 million bags, a growth of 2 million over two years.\u00a0<\/span>Esp\u00edrito<\/span>\u00a0Santo alone saw a 58-percent increase in yields over last year.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>According to Bourbon Specialty Coffees\u2019 agronomy engineer, not only is the volume of bags up this year, but so is the average seed size: They told us over Zoom that about 60 percent of the crop achieved screen-size of 16-plus.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-11.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-10.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”A Record Year” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Juliana Senciano, a member of the Bourbon Specialty marketing team, explains how the weather helped push production to these limits: \u201cThe first months of the year, January, February, and March, we are in the summer here in Brazil. It\u2019s a common rainy season of the year. We expected the rain, of course, but the rain surprised us, the amount of rain that we had. It\u2019s the period that the beans are developing, so this amount of rain helped the coffee to have a uniform maturation and to get bigger and bigger sizes, and I think that this is reflecting right now. We didn\u2019t have the rain in the harvesting times in any regions, we didn\u2019t have any trouble with frost\u2014it was the perfect crop.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”A Record Year 1″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u201cIt was more than perfect, it was unbelievable,\u201d says Luiz Paulo Dias Pereira Filho, cofounder of CarmoCoffees.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cWe never had one year like this, without rain for the harvest. And quality! The quality is amazing.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>According to Luiz Paulo, the dry weather during the harvest season meant that the coffees could stay on the trees a bit longer, creating a \u201csugar concentrate\u201d in the fruit and hopefully leading to fruity, full, and rich Naturals as well as clean and dynamic Pulped Naturals.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”A Record Year 1″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cIf the sugars concentrate, the result will be a very nice coffee.\u00a0<\/span>We had a good opportunity to do Naturals,\u201d he says, “because the weather was perfect for the harvest.\u00a0<\/span>The sugar level, because if we don\u2019t have water, we have the sugar concentrate. If the sugars concentrate, the result will be a very nice coffee. We need some good things this year!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Bourbon\u2019s food engineer, Andr\u00e9ia Braga In\u00e1cio Sarmento, adds: \u201cHere in the Brazil we have like a year that we have a high productive and another one that we have a low productive. In 2020, we\u2019re in a higher productive. The next one will be a little bit less.\u201d (More about that in a moment.)<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-3.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Covid 19″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n The Impact of\u00a0<\/span><\/b>Covid-19<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Unfortunately, the novel coronavirus doesn\u2019t seem to care whether it\u2019s a big harvest year or not, and its spread worldwide has meant that no conversation\u2014about coffee or otherwise\u2014can go without some mention of the effects of the pandemic. Brazil in particular has been hit hard, with more than 4 million confirmed cases and nearly 130,000 deaths countrywide.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Thankfully, both Carmo and Bourbon report few issues for their teams or partners.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cOur region, we have some problems, but we are safe,\u201d says Luiz Paulo. \u201cWe are doing all the protocols, we are protecting the workers, we are keeping a safe distance. The protocols are working.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-16.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-13.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-6.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Covid 19″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Juliana from Bourbon agrees, but also points out the \u201cbright side\u201d of this strange shared experience: \u201cCovid-19 arrived in March, and at the beginning, the coffee community here in Brazil was very concerned because no one had very much explanations, we didn\u2019t have confirmed cases\u2014it was a mess. Everyone was really confused and really concerned, but I think that the great thing was that everyone exchanged information and everyone got reunited. The coffee community in Brazil did an excellent job,\u201d she says, also reporting that as of early September there are still few reported positive cases among farmers or workers in their network.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>For Luiz Paulo, the greatest difficulty of this period has been the fact that all travel is stalled, seemingly indefinitely.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cOof,\u201d he says with a smile. \u201cSince I started to work in coffee in 2002, I don\u2019t remember one time that I stay so long in Brazil like now. It\u2019s good because we are discovering a lot of things: We have time to improve our qualities, I have more attention with the farmers, we talk more\u2014I think we had some good times. The unique problem we are having is we can have more is that we don\u2019t have our customers visiting us, and in terms of specialty coffees the people want to come see, they want to cup the coffee and to talk. Specialty coffees is relationship<\/span>. I\u2019m missing my friends, my travels.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-14.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-4.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-19.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Time to Experiment” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Time to Experiment<\/span><\/b>\u00a0and Study<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n As Luiz Paulo mentioned, however, this time has afforded producers across the country to focus on the farms, explore other areas of the market, and even to spend more time and energy on experimental processes or varieties. He and his team have been honing their anaerobic-environment fermentation experiments, for example, and he has spent part of this year expanding the amount of Gesha on one of his own farms,\u00a0<\/span>Santu\u00e1rio<\/span>\u00a0Sul.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cWe have now more than 30 hectares with Gesha,\u201d he explains, with plans to add more next year. \u201cThe idea is in the future we will have a Gesha with a sustainable price and quality.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>He also says that many producers are investing in roasting equipment in order to sell their coffee on the local market as well as exporting their green. \u201cThis is growing a lot in Brazil. A lot of farmers are starting to roast. Example, our farms started to roast:\u00a0<\/span>Irm\u00e3s<\/span>\u00a0Pereira, we are roasting coffee in Brazil.\u00a0<\/span>Santu\u00e1rio<\/span>\u00a0Sul, we are roasting coffee in Brazil.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-15.jpg” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Time to Experiment 1″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>The extra time and ideal weather allowed Andr\u00e9ia to take a closer look at Bourbon\u2019s coffees as well. \u201cI could do a lot of fermentation tests,\u201d she says, explaining that she used a tool called a Fermaestro in order to study different processing techniques.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Time to Experiment 1″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Fermaestro is a device created by the Colombian coffee institution\u2019s agronomy team, and it is a simple way for a producer to measure the velocity of their coffee\u2019s fermentation, and to determine when to remove the mucilage for the best results. \u201cI love that tool, for me it\u2019s so easy to use. I also did a fermentation with yeast inoculation, and also we built an anaerobic environment.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_video _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RLLWOhTMFsE&feature=youtu.be” max_width=”85%” module_alignment=”center” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Time to Experiment 1″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>As if that wasn\u2019t enough, she also started to explore using U.V. light to analyze coffee quality in its green form. \u201cI\u2019m doing some scientific research this year, so I hope to get some results next year,\u201d she says, explaining that U.V. light allows her to see mold and other defects that aren\u2019t visible to the human eye.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”The Future” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n The Future?<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Of course, with everything as topsy-turvy as it is around the world, we\u2019re getting used to expecting bad news to come with every bit of good. So, you remember that perfect weather at the beginning of this year? Well, it hasn\u2019t stayed quite so perfect at this point in the annual coffee cycle.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>The past week or so, Luiz Paulo says he has been getting messages and alerts\u00a0<\/span>warning about a lack of rain, which can mean big trouble for next year\u2019s production.\u00a0<\/span>\u201cThey are saying that it\u2019s a historical year in terms of water<\/span>,\u201d he says.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201cT<\/span>he other regions who normally finish their harvest in July, beginning of August<\/span>?<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>T<\/span>hey were waiting for the water, and the water didn\u2019t came. They don\u2019t have any expectation to have rain. People will start to say that Brazil can have a problem with 50% of the next production if the rain didn\u2019t come. We check the forecast every day and no rain.<\/span>\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-7.jpg” align=”center” max_width=”90%” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”The Future” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u201cYes, we expected the rains to start around the end of August and until then, most regions, we didn\u2019t see any rain,\u201d says Juliana. \u201cThe flowering is starting now in some regions. We have some\u00a0<\/span>other regions that it didn\u2019t started. At this exact period, it is very, very important the rain<\/span>.\u201d It is rain that triggers the plants\u2019 development: Without it, like Luiz Paulo said, yields could be significantly reduced next year\u2014even more than already expected.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>\u201cLe<\/span>t\u2019s hope that soon the rain comes to all the region<\/span>s,\u201d Juliana continues.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<\/span>But I think in general this crop was excellent, so let\u2019s see\u2014good vibes<\/span>!\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Good Vibes” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Good Vibes: Great Flavor<\/span><\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Good vibes are exactly what we need right about now, which is why we want to end this report on a high note, taking a look at the awesome quality everyone is talking about from Brazil this year. The silver lining of having to stay close to home is that farmers were able to pay more attention to their crops,\u00a0<\/span>make investments in their techniques, and learn from one another in order to raise scores across the board.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Green-coffee buyer for Brazil, Luis Arocha, says what he\u2019s seen come across our cupping table this year has been fantastic, even early on: \u201cWe have had a few samples, and even though they were a bit fresh they were expressing really good quality already.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-12.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cafe_Imports_Brazil-1-8.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Good Vibes” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n From Carmo de Minas, we\u2019re seeing praline, almond, pecan, berry, and coffee cherry flavors, with rich chocolate and heavy mouthfeel. That soft almond and praline shines through from Alta Mogiana and Valle da Grama as well.\u00a0<\/span>Now that the harvest is almost completely done in these areas, s<\/span>amples\u00a0<\/span>will continue arriving<\/span>\u00a0from Bourbon Specialty and CarmoCoffees, and we expect to\u00a0<\/span>have updated notes and offerings in the coming weeks for delivery this fall.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Esp\u00edrito Santo, on the southeastern coast, operates on a slightly different timeline, thanks to its unique microclimate. \u201cIn Esp\u00edrito Santo the harvesting is a little later than the other regions,\u201d Juliana says, in part because of the higher elevations and because of the farms\u2019 proximity to the ocean. We\u2019ll see those coffees a few months after the majority of our Brazil arrivals\u2014but Luis thinks they\u2019re worth the wait. \u201cSome of the best Brazils that have come through our cupping lab are Esp\u00edrito Santo. It is one of my favorite coffee places,\u201d he says. Those primarily Washed coffees have a completely different profile:\u00a0<\/span>Floral, tropical, intensely sweet, and delicate.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0<\/span>Now is the perfect time to start planning your Brazil needs for the coming winter and spring, and don\u2019t hesitate to reach out to your sales representative to get a good sense of what good vibes are coming in from our partners this season\u2014we can\u2019t wait to share them with you.<\/span><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_cta button_text=”Browse Current Offerings” use_background_color=”off” background_color=”#7bb262″ border_style=”solid” custom_button=”on” button_url=”https:dev.cafeimports.com\/offerings#\/category=origins\/origin=Brazil\/” header_font=”Changa One||||” button_text_color_hover=”#ffffff” button_text_color=”#000000″ button_border_color=”#000000″ button_bg_color_hover=”#911814″ button_border_color_hover=”#911814″ module_class=”CI-divi-button1″ custom_css_promo_button=”width: 100%;||min-height: 90px;||” saved_tabs=”all” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial” _builder_version=”3.7″ \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u00a0turns out\u00a0there has been\u00a0one\u00a0good thing that\u2019s happened so far in 2020:\u00a0Weather so perfect for\u00a0the most recent\u00a0harvest\u00a0in Brazil\u00a0that\u00a0we can\u2019t wait to tell you all about the\u00a0coffee\u2019s we\u2019ll begin receiving\u00a0shortly.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":45317,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-45278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-brazil"],"site_id":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/45317"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}