Fazenda Río Verde, Brazil

Fazenda Río Verde, Brazil

Country: Brazil
Region: Mantiqueira de Minas, Minas Gerais
Town: Conceição do Rio Verde
Farm: Río Verde
Owner: Ipanema Agricola
Processing: Natural
Altitude: 905 to 1,360 metres above sea leve
Varietal: Icatu

Ipanema Agricola has been producing coffee since the 1970s. Their production area, composed of five farms, stretches over more than 4,500 hectares total area. Approximately 70% of this total land is devoted entirely to coffee (the rest is primarily conservation area). It is not surprising, then, that the total annual production at Ipanema exceeds the annual production of several of the world’s smaller coffee-producing countries!

Rio Verde is one of the smaller farms nestled in the wider estate. Founded in 1887, it is the oldest of the company’s farms. Located in the heart of the Mantiqueira de Minas Mountains, this 1,566 hectare farm is a true natural sanctuary, where coffees are grown at elevations of up to 1,300 meters above sea level, surrounded by virgin forests, waterfalls, springs and hiking trails. In fact, the farm is home to 52 catalogued springs, all of which are protected. Only 626 hectares of the farm are given over to coffee production, with a full 773 hectares being devoted to conservation. To this end, Ipanema has created the Environment Monitoring Centre (EMC), which has been installed in an old henhouse on the farm. The Centre monitors farm management practices relating to water use, soil fertility and erosion, vegetation and climate.

Rio Verde’s clay soil is rich in decomposed minerals and full of nutrients due to its rich flora and fauna. Its altitude and plentiful water sources make it ideal for growing not only coffee but also Macadamia and renewable timber. High elevations combined with mountainous topography create a unique microclimate, with mild temperatures and rainfall average of 1,600 mm a year, ideal for growing Yellow Bourbon, Acaia, Yellow Catuaí, Yellow Topazio, Mundo Novo, Yellow Icatú and Catucaí. The diversity of the environment along with the many planted coffee varieties makes for numerous ‘terroirs’, each with its own taste nuances and complexities.

Natural coffees such as this one are subject to meticulous standards from harvest through to resting. Coffee is selectively harvested either mechanically or by hand and then delivered to dry for up to 9 days on raised beds or patios. The coffee may also be finished in one of the farm’s 48 mechanical driers, where they are slowly dried at an even and soft heat for around 48 hours. Bean quality is monitored in each dryer, carefully evaluating the appearance and taste profile of each 20 bag batch. After drying, the coffee is then placed in wooden bins to rest at least for 60 days in order to homogenize internal moisture and improve the taste profile. At every step of the process, until exportation, Ipanema’s team evaluates the quality of the lots.

In addition to its coffee production areas, Ipanema also cultivates a sustainable harvest of eucalyptus trees. Unlike most other coffee farms that grow eucalyptus, this is not a diversified timber crop; the eucalyptus at Ipanema is grown exclusively to provide the natural fuel required during the coffee drying process.