In September 2024, our Head roaster Gabe embarked on an unforgettable trip to Brazil’s coffee growing regions, joining Volcafe and other UK roasters to experience coffee production at origin. Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer, with vast landscapes dedicated to coffee cultivation. This trip was a chance to understand the sheer scale of its industry and the people behind the coffee.
First Impressions
After a 12-hour flight from London Heathrow, Gabe landed in São Paulo, where the team regrouped before heading on a six-hour drive deep into Minas Gerais, one of Brazil’s key coffee producing regions. Their first stop was Varginha, a hub for coffee buying, processing and trade. Here, they visited Volcafe’s largest warehouse, where vast quantities of green coffee are stored post-processing, ready for export.
Walking through the facility, Gabe was struck by the sheer scale of Brazil’s coffee production. In the 2023/24 harvest alone, Brazil produced 47.3 million sacks of coffee, reaffirming its dominance in the global coffee market. But beyond the numbers, this trip was about meeting the farmers and communities behind the coffee.
Brazilian Coffee Culture: More Than Just an Industry
Brazil’s relationship with coffee is deeply ingrained in its culture and economy. Unlike smaller-scale farms in countries like Ethiopia, where often coffee is grown on small family plots, Brazil’s coffee production is often on a much larger scale. The ability to utilise mechanical processing on these expansive farms has made Brazilian coffee farming highly efficient, allowing producers to manage vast crops with precision. However, what surprised Gabe was that, despite this efficiency, many farmers still face similar challenges. Whether through climate unpredictability, resource limitations or lack of access to agronomy support. The scale of production doesn’t eliminate the hard work and dedication required to grow great coffee, it simply changes the way farmers navigate these obstacles.
Yet, one of the biggest takeaways from the trip was seeing how green buyers and cooperatives support farmers in Brazil. Volcafe’s green coffee program, for example, offers agronomy advice, training and technical support to farmers, helping them improve their yield and sustainability – without any obligation to sell their coffee through Volcafe. By using model farms that demonstrate best practices, knowledge is shared, helping level the playing field between large and small-scale producers.
Farms, Co-ops & A Changing Perspective
One of the most memorable experiences for Gabe was meeting Octavio Reis, a producer whose coffee we source directly at Voyager. Visiting his farm was a reminder that Brazil is far more than just chocolatey, nutty profiles. Octavio is passionate about showcasing Brazil’s coffee diversity, with unique varietals and processing methods that highlight the country’s potential beyond its chocolaty reputation to showcase bright and fruity coffees too.
On the other end of the spectrum, Gabe visited COOPASV, a small cooperative formed by a handful of farms working together to strengthen their position in the market. Meeting Antonio and his family at Fazenda São Lourenço was eye-opening, unlike the larger farms, Antonio was battling the aftermath of severe frost that had wiped out his coffee trees. The knock-on effect was devastating, forcing him to rely on honey production as a secondary income while replanting his entire crop.
Despite these struggles, Antonio remained optimistic, saying, “Tomorrow is another day.” COOPASV supported him by supplying new coffee trees, guaranteeing a fair price for his remaining crop, and helping with transport and access to washing stations. Seeing this level of community resilience in the face of adversity was one of the most humbling moments of the trip.
The Land & Environment
Brazil’s coffee farms stretch across vast landscapes and for Gabe, witnessing the endless rolling hills of coffee plants was surreal. Unlike the high-altitude farms of Central America or East Africa, much of Minas Gerais is at lower elevations, benefiting from ideal temperatures but struggling with declining rainfall in recent years.
One of the most bizarre moments of the trip? Encountering swarms of cicadas, an event that happens once every 17 years. These insects, while fascinating, also wreak havoc on crops, showing how even a country as dominant as Brazil in coffee production still faces unpredictable environmental challenges.
Sustainability is also evolving in Brazil. Some farms are adopting regenerative farming methods, such as zero-crop rotation, sectioning off plots to allow trees to rest and regenerate before being pruned and harvested again. Others are using cherry pulp as a natural fertiliser and pest deterrent, helping protect trees from disease and pests like the coffee borer beetle.
A Changed Perspective on Coffee Sourcing
Gabe’s biggest takeaway from the trip? The human side of coffee farming.
“Seeing Octavio at his farm, someone whose coffee we roast and brew every day, reinforced how important it is to support producers through both their highs and lows,” Gabe goes on to say, “A bad harvest, a frost or a market fluctuation can change everything, and as roasters, we need to highlight that reality.”
As a roaster, it’s easy to see green coffee as a product that arrives neatly in bags, ready for roasting. But this trip closed the gap between the farmer picking the cherry and the coffee arriving at our roastery. It reinforced the importance of building relationships, sourcing responsibly and sharing the stories behind every cup we serve.
Brazil’s coffee industry is vast, complex and evolving. Gabe’s journey was a reminder that behind every bean is a farmer, a family and a community working tirelessly to bring us the coffee we love.
To try coffee from Salto – Octavio Reiss’s farm – find our Native Blend Here