Brazil
Cerrado Mineiro
Marta de Paula Borges
Fazenda do Retiro
Yellow Topazio
Pulped Natural
May–August
Cherry, Plum, Citrus
1075 meters
N/A
60 kg w/ GrainPro
SOLD OUT
Coffee producer Marta de Paula Borges owns and operates two coffee farms in the Cerrado Mineiro region of Brazil, Fazenda do Retiro and Esmeril Chapadão de Ferro. Marta grew up in the Cerrado Mineiro region with her parents, where the family kept a small coffee plantation in their vegetable garden. In 1988, Marta inherited 40 hectares of land from her parents; this land is where she would begin her first plot of coffee in earnest, initially covering 4 hectares with coffee trees beginning in 1993. Today, Marta’s coffee production spans 27 hectares across her two properties, with 21 hectares of coffee at Esmeril Chapadão de Ferro farm and another six hectares in production at Fazenda do Retiro.
In the early years, coffee production was difficult as Marta lacked both equipment and experience. But, with the help of her husband and their sons, Marta was able to overcome those early challenges. Today, Marta has added not only equipment and technologies that she lacked, but also decades of experience in her trade as she has dedicated herself exclusively to coffee production.
This lot of Yellow Topazio coffee underwent Pulped Natural processing. Topazio is a cross of Mundo Novo and Yellow Catuai first selected by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas, Brazil in the 1960s. The variety offers high productivity and even cherry maturation, and is especially well-suited for the climate of Minas Gerais state.
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.
