Farm info

Coffee producer Renato Monteiro began his career working with his parents in Paraná state. The family relocated to the Cerrado Mineiro region in 2000 seeking a more consistent climate and settled in Araguari, Minas Gerais. Initially, they worked on other producers’ farms for nine years as they worked toward their dream of owning their own land, finally purchasing Fazenda Araras and its 10 hectares of coffee production.

Today, Renato and his family also lease the nearby Fazenda Baioka, a 50 hectare property planted with 42 hectares of Mundo Novo trees. Across all of their production they work with great dedication and care, executing thoughtful Natural processing to highlight the terroir of the region.

This lot of Mundo Novo coffee underwent Natural processing. Mundo Novo is the product of a natural cross between Sumatra and Red Bourbon, discovered in the municipality of Mineiros do Tietê, São Paulo in 1943. Seeds from one of these trees were planted in the municipality of Mundo Novo, now called Urupês, in Sao Paulo state. Various lines of the plant were cultivated here, undergoing selection for positive characteristics. The results of this cultivation were finally distributed to farmers beginning in 1952, with new selections by the IAC (Agronomic Institute of Campinas) beginning in 1977.

Region

Cerrado Mineiro

The Cerrado Mineiro region, located in northwest of Minas Gerais State, is a world-recognized, high-quality coffee producing origin and became the first Protected Geographical Indication in Brazil in 2005, with full Designation of Origin in 2013. A strong characteristic of this region is its well-defined seasons—a hot, wet summer followed by a pleasantly dry winter. The dry climate during harvest eliminates potential problems with humidity during the drying process.

Minas Gerais is Brazil’s principal agricultural state, and the Cerrado is home to many of the country’s celebrated coffee estates, with expertise in planting, harvesting, drying, and sorting. We love Cerrado coffees for their big body, rich chocolate notes, and velvety texture when pulled as espresso.

Today, the area’s 4,500 farmers produce a combined average of 6 million bags per harvest, with an average of 35 bags per hectare. To reach these production levels, producers had to first adapt to the region’s conditions. Coffee farmers first arrived in Cerrado in the 1970’s, after being pushed out of the state of Parana by frost and out of the state of Sao Paulo by nematodes. They found the soil in Cerrado to be very acidic, which they rectified with the application of calcium to create the healthy soils they enjoy today.

Cerrado coffee farms are cultivated in areas with elevations varying between 800 and 1,300 meters above sea level and are known for consistently producing high quality coffees with a repeatable profile. Independent of farm size, the spirit of professionalism is present throughout Cerrado’s coffee producers. Entrepreneurialism is part of farmers’ DNA, and many producers are second or third generation growers who also hold degrees in agronomic engineering, business management, and administration. While each family narrative is different, Cerrado is characterized by an enterprising attitude.