Brazil Piao Morro Grande

The farm Fazenda Piao Morro Grande, which translates as 'Cowboy Mountain' in the local vernacular, is situated at 950 to 1150masl. The farm spans 74 ha and produces roughly 2200 bags of coffee a year, even with only half of the farm dedicated to coffee production. The farm is now run by brothers Rafael and Leo Carvalho Lima, the third successive generation on the farm. Both brothers having returned to the family farm after studying Law and Agronomy respectively.

Leo and Rafael's grandfather had farmed with here with two partners and when he died, their grandmother bought out the other partners in order to pass something down to her children.

Piao Morro Grande was traditionally dairy focused. Gradually, the potential for coffee farming became apparent and by the late 90s the family was seriously developing their coffee growing capacity. With the addition of the skill set of a trained agronomist, the quality of the coffee produced increased dramatically. Coffee is processed on the farm, with the beans dried on the farm's patios and in one day guardiolas, drying barrels that ensure the consistency of the coffee produced.

Today Brazil is the number one global coffee-producing country, supplying about a third of all the world's coffee. The country's coffee history, going back to the 1820s when production boomed due to increased demand from Europe and America, is inextricably linked to colonialism and slavery. Millions of slaves were imported to work the coffee fields, eventually supplemented by European immigrant labour as slavery was abolished abroad and then finally in Brazil.

A second boom in the late 19th century was driven by the states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais, causing a surge in internal migration that grew the city of São Paulo from a small town of 30,000 in the 1850s to a city of over a million by the 1930s.

By the 1920s Brazil enjoyed a near-monopoly on everybody's favourite beverage, supplying 80 percent of the world's coffee. This led to issues of oversupply leading up to the market crash and subsequent depression, and as production expanded in other countries by the 1950s Brazil's grip on global coffee production began to weaken.

Coffee in Brazil was deregulated in the 1990s, with government control ceding to the international markets. Today production is highly mechanized, although the sheer size of the country means that farms can range from giant, low-altitude plantations of robusta to small family-run farms growing high-quality arabica and experimenting with new varieties and processing methods.

Did you know?

• There are 220,000 coffee farms in Brazil covering 27,000 square kilometres, and some 3.5 million people are involved in the industry.
• Coffee is highly susceptible to frost, and due to its importance to the worldwide market the relatively frequent "black frosts" in Brazil can cause widespread economic volatility. Milder "white frosts" kill the flowers that will turn into cherries the next year, but harsher black frosts kill the whole tree and can cause longer-term devastation.
• Brazil is known for its low rainfall and abundant sunshine, which makes it ideal for utilizing the natural and pulped natural processing methods. Pulped natural or "semi-washed" involves removing some of the coffee cherry before drying, while with the natural process the cherries are merely rinsed briefly before being dried in the sun.

Our speciality coffees are 100% traceable and ethically sourced. We work direct with farmers, or through trusted partners, to bring you the best coffee from around the world.

Sourced in partnership with: Falcon Coffees
Producer relationship length: 2 years