Brazil Santos

As the largest coffee producer in the world, Brazil has an incredible range of coffees, producing conditions and lots to choose from, making it possible to have consistent, high-quality blends year after year. Brazil Santos is well known for its sweet and smooth profile, widespread appeal, medium body, and creamy, mellow flavor. Because it provides such a consistent profile, this coffee is an excellent base for any blend that will keep your customers returning time and time again for the same beloved flavors.

Most Brazilian coffee is grown on huge farms, built and equipped for mechanical harvesting and processing designed to maximize productivity. The relatively flat landscape across many of Brazil’s coffee regions, combined with high minimum wages, has led most farms to opt for this type of mechanical harvesting over selective hand-picking.

In the past, this mechanization meant that strip-picking was the norm. However, today’s mechanical harvesters are increasingly sensitive, meaning farms can selectively harvest only fully ripe cherries at each pass. This is excellent news for specialty-oriented producers.

In many cases and on less-level sections of farms, a mixed form of ‘manual mechanized’ harvesting may be used. The derricadeira – a mechanized rake that uses vibration to harvest ripe cherry - can selectively pick ripe cherry more quickly and cost-effectively than individual hand pickers. A tarp is spanned between coffee trees to capture the cherry as it falls.

With the aid of these newer, more selective technologies, a growing number of farms are increasingly concerned with – and able to deliver - cup quality.

After harvest, cherries are typically laid to dry in thin layers on patios. Under direct sunlight, they are carefully monitored and turned frequently.