Brazil
Cerrado Mineiro
Thúlio Marcos dos Reis
Fazenda Santo Antonio lugar Olhos D'agua
Topazio
Natural
May–August
Caramel, Molasses, Floral
1000 meters
N/A
60 kg w/ GrainPro
SOLD OUT
Coffee producer Thúlio Marcos dos Reis comes from a legacy of coffee farming, with more than 30 years of family history in the trade. Thúlio works alongside his brothers, Thales and Thiago, who have all followed in the career path of their parents, working on the family’s Fazenda Santo Antonio lugar Olhos D’agua in Patrocínio, Minas Gerais.
Thúlio’s brother Thales has led the family’s efforts to increase the quality of their crops, spending time learning from other specialty coffee producers and seeking support from specialists. During harvest they now prioritize harvesting ripe cherries, and drying is completed in two stages—first spread out in rows on the drying patio and then piled up to complete the process—in order to produce quality results.
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.
