Origin Spotlight: Brazil, Cerrado Mineiro

For years, we paid others to travel to origin and source coffee on our behalf. Then Covid halted farm visits, and we were focused on rebuilding the company. In 2025, we switched importing partners to Covoya, and they invited us to visit the farms we buy from.

We met with farmers, toured farms, helped with harvest, experienced warehousing and sorting, and cupped through coffee “lots.” In about 10 minutes standing on a farm, we learned what the industry has often wrapped in fancy words and gatekeeping. It took less time in the field than it took me to piece together in 10 years. It was a mind-melting experience in the best way.

This year’s crop of Brazil beans, used in Smooth Operator, Alter Ego, Super Ego, and our Barrel Conditioned Coffees, comes from a family-owned business representing several generations of coffee producers in Cerrado Mineiro, Minas Gerais, Brazil.

In operation since the 1970s, they now own several farms in the region and are committed to quality with an eye toward sustainable production for future generations. The farm has been visited and classified as a High Performer in regenerative practices, including arboriculture, beneficial organism multiplication, and the strategic use of cover plants. Their focus is a balanced and sustainable production environment that can endure for decades to come.

We also visited multiple women-led farms that produce the beans for our signature roasts. We walked the land, talked through processing, and joined in the harvest.

After harvesting, whole coffee cherries are spread out on patios or drying beds and left to dry completely in the sun. They slowly turn from red to brown before the dried fruit skin is removed to reveal the green beans inside.

Most Brazilian coffee is produced using the natural, or dry, process. This means the entire coffee cherry is dried in the sun before the pulp is removed, allowing the bean to absorb sugars and compounds from the fruit. The result is a fuller body and potentially more complex flavors compared to a washed process.

Dry processed Brazilian coffee is often described as having a richer body, lower acidity, and notes of dried fruit, molasses, and chocolate due to the sugars absorbed during drying. It is a method that fits the region and produces a distinct, dependable character.

Because the whole fruit is drying around the seed, this process requires careful attention. Consistent conditions are critical to prevent uneven fermentation, and drying time and climate can significantly shape the final flavor profile.

Coffee has been grown in Brazil since 1727. By 1920, Brazil was responsible for 80% of the world’s coffee production and has remained a world leader in coffee exports ever since.

Brazil’s climate and terroir, known as the cerrado, a tropical savanna ecoregion in eastern Brazil, create ideal conditions for coffee production. Coffee from the Cerrado region is often a blend of various varietals such as Bourbon, Catuai, Icatu, and Mundo Novo.

Across the country, more than 300,000 coffee farms grow over 40 species of coffee plants. The Cerrado’s consistency, elevation, and climate contribute to coffees with reliable structure and character, which is one reason we love building our core blends around Brazil.

Shop the coffees from this trip.

Seeing origin firsthand changed how we understand and talk about coffee. The work is no longer abstract. It is hands in harvest, cherries drying in the sun, and families stewarding land for the next generation. And now, it is in your cup.