Coffee from Brazil

Originating from the world's largest coffee-growing country, Brazilian coffee defies easy categorization: the country produces everything from the lowest quality coffees to the finest specialty coffees. After the USA, Brazil also has the second-highest coffee consumption worldwide.

The story

After the first coffee beans arrived in Brazil in 1727 through the scheming efforts of the Portuguese sergeant Francisco de Mello Palheta, coffee quickly became Brazil's first and most successful exclusive export product. What was initially intended only for domestic consumption became a major export hit during a severe crisis in Haiti, then the world's largest coffee producer.

At the end of the 19th century, coffee was by far the most important economic factor in the country: approximately 75% of world production came from Brazil. Then, as now, 98% of coffee comes from the four states of São Paulo, Espírito Santo, Minas Gerais, and Paraná. Because coffee cultivation grew without foreign investment, it paved the way for Brazil's economic development in the following centuries.

Today, coffee production accounts for only about 10% of Brazil's gross domestic product, having been overtaken by other commodities such as iron and soy. Nevertheless, over 3.5 million people work in the Brazilian coffee supply chain, and the country maintains a rich coffee culture with numerous unique specialties.

The characteristics of Brazilian coffee

Primarily various Arabica varieties, but also some Robusta varieties, are cultivated in Brazil's extensive mountains and highlands. As the world's fifth-largest country, Brazil offers a wide range of growing conditions for coffee plants, from the humid rainforests of the Amazon lowlands to mountain forests, steppes, and idyllic beaches.

This means that even beans of the same variety can taste different depending on the region where they were harvested. In the southeast of the country, newly discovered Bourbon varieties have been cultivated for several years. Thanks to their mild, delicate spiciness and subtle vanilla aromas, these beans are particularly popular. Beans grown on the east coast sometimes exhibit slight seawater aromas, a characteristic especially appreciated in Eastern Europe. Brazilian coffee is generally considered mild and low in acidity.

Problem country Brazil

The already gigantic scale of coffee cultivation in Brazil did not only have positive effects. Until 1888, almost all plantations were worked by enslaved Africans, and even after the official abolition of slavery, working conditions improved only very slowly.

Today, the Brazilian population struggles primarily with the consequences of the massive use of pesticides and fertilizers. Without these chemical additives, the numerous monocultures would not be profitable. Although the dangerous chemicals break down during the roasting process, the unique Brazilian environment and the workers, who still far too often suffer from cancer, continue to be harmed.

Although Brazil is making progress and more and more small initiatives are emerging that try to respect the environment and nature, the fight against the big coffee companies like Tchibo, Kraft and Nestlé remains difficult.