Brazil
Cerrado Mineiro
Odair Jose Prudente de Medeiros
Sítio Santa Amélia
Mundo Novo
Natural
May–August
Honey, Orange, Clean
950 meters
N/A
60 kg w/ GrainPro
SOLD OUT
Odair Jose Medeiros is a third generation coffee producer leading the operation of Sítio Santa Amelia in Araguari, Minas Gerais, in the Cerrado Mineiro region of Brazil. His family began working in coffee in the 1970s when his grandfather and father, Mr. Trajano Prudente and Clovis Prudente, produced coffee together in Paraná state. However, when Paraná faced climate challenges and a nematode attack on their crops, the family moved to Cerrado Mineiro seeking better opportunities. Odair’s family worked for ten years for other coffee producers, and through great dedication were able to save enough money to purchase Sítio Santa Amelia and establish their own crops once again.
Today, Odair oversees the farm alongside his wife, Sonia Medeiros, with a strong commitment to the purpose of producing high quality coffees. The farm covers 15 hectares of land and is planted with 13 hectares of Mundo Novo and Topázio varieties, producing around 650 bags of coffee each year.
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.
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.
