Brazil

The world's largest producer for about 150 years, growing mostly dry-processed arabica whose classic profile is mild and low in acidity.

Brazil has been the world's largest coffee producer for about 150 years and grows roughly a third of the world's coffee, about 70% arabica and 30% robusta. Virtually all Brazilian coffee is dry-processed (natural): whole cherries are sun-dried for 8-10 days, or up to four weeks in poor conditions, before hulling. Most plantations are harvested in the dry months, roughly June to September, usually in one large annual pick. Minas Gerais alone grows about half of national output and about three-quarters of the country's arabica, across zones such as Sul de Minas, Cerrado de Minas, Chapada de Minas and Matas de Minas. Espírito Santo is the leading robusta (Conilon) state. Santos, in São Paulo state, is the port through which premium Brazilian coffee has long shipped, and its name survives as a trade label. Cup of Excellence competitions began in 1999, and Brazil is among the countries that hold one.

History

Coffee arrived in Brazil in the 18th century. The first bush was reportedly planted in Pará in 1727 with seed obtained via French Guiana. It reached Rio de Janeiro by 1770, and by the 1840s Brazil was the largest producer, on the back of enslaved and later immigrant labor. Production moved west into São Paulo and Minas Gerais, and the boom from the 1880s to the 1930s shaped Brazilian politics. Brazil's share of world output has declined since the 1950s even as it stayed the top producer, and after the Brazilian Coffee Institute was abolished in 1989 growers began to pursue higher-quality segments.