Brazil
Brazil is world’s leading coffee producer since the beginning of the 19th century.
Coffee was introduced to the country in the in 1727 by a Portuguese soldier who stole some beans from French Guyana.
1975 was the year of the Brazilian big frost that killed a massive amount of coffee trees. Many producers abandoned their crops and resettled in Minas Gerais (which was less affected by frost), nowadays representing the leading coffee-producing state of the country.
Brazil is home for several traditional and experimental varieties such as Bourbon, Mondo Novo, Catuaí, Catucaí and Icatú. Most of the genetic material stems from the Catuaí and Mundo Novo groups, developed by the Agronomy Institute of Campinas (IAC).
The majority of the Brazilian coffee was natural processed. This has changed overtime and today pulped natural and fully washed methods are widely used.
Furthermore Brazil is the only coffee producing country using mechanized harvesting tools and the advanced agricultural technology prevents uneven harvesting.
