Brazil
Cerrado Mineiro
Wilson Jose Rodrigues
Fazenda Retiro Malhadouro
Catuai
Natural
May–August
Chocolate, Caramel, Wine
965 meters
N/A
60 kg w/ GrainPro
SOLD OUT
Wilson Jose Rodrigues began his coffee farming career on his family’s property, Retiro Malhadouro, in the Cerrado Mineiro region of Brazil. The farm has been in Wilson’s family for decades, and is where he helped his father manage the family’s dairy cattle during his studies. In 1995, determined to start a new endeavor, Wilson planted 2 hectares of Catucai variety coffee on the property with the support of his father.
The farm’s coffee crop has grown and changed much over the years, with the first major change coming in 2000. In search of renewal and resistant coffee varieties, Wilson renovated his Catucai plants and replaced them with Catuai and Oeiras varieties, doubling his plantation size from two to four hectares. Today, with the farm fully under his management, five of the farm’s seven hectares are now planted with coffee. Wilson works with great dedication alongside his wife, Valdirene Rodrigues, and their children, Iago and Yasmim, to manage the operation with love and commitment to the pursuit of high quality coffees.
This lot of Catuai coffee underwent Natural processing. Catuai was made by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas, Brazil by crossing Mundo Novo and Caturra varieties. Catuai coffees are cultivated widely across Brazil, and are known for their high productivity potential.
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.
