Fazenda Baioka

The Cerrado Mineiro region, located in the northwest of Minas Gerais State is a world-recognized, high quality coffee producing origin and became the first Protected Geographical Indication in Brazil in 2005. A strong characteristic of this region is its well defined seasons— a hot, humid summer followed by a pleasantly dry winter. Minas Gerais is Brazil’s principal agricultural state, and the Cerrado is home to many of the country’s celebrated coffee estates, with great expertise in planting, harvesting, drying, and sorting.

Cerrado coffee farms are cultivated in areas with elevations varying between 800 and 1,300 metres above sea level and are known for producing consistently high quality coffees. Independent of farm size, the spirit of professionalism is present throughout Cerrado’s coffee producers. Entrepreneurialism is part of farmers’ DNA, and many producers are second or third generation growers who also hold degrees in agronomic engineering, business management, and administration. While each family narrative is different, Cerrado is characterised by an enterprising attitude.

There are 210,000 hectares in production in Cerrado Mineiro, 102,000 of which are certified by the Denomination of Origin program, with 68,000 hectares using irrigation systems. The area’s 4,500 coffee farmers produce a combined average of 5 million bags per crop, with an average of 35 bags per hectare.

The state of Minas Gerais is the largest coffee growing area in Brazil, accounting for almost 50% of the country’s production and is one of its main sources of specialty coffee. Cerrado Mineiro coffee represents 12.7% of Brazilian production and 24.5% of Minas Gerais production. The coffee growing area is a staggering 1,006,800 hectares.

Many farms in the Cerrado are part of producer cooperatives or associations. Farmers here can follow the latest research and developments in production strategies, for example on hybrid varieties developed by Brazilian universities and research institutions