New Innovations in Brazilian Coffee Production
Brazil has one of the most developed economies and coffee sectors in all the origins that produce coffee. So, it’s quite natural that its coffee manufacturers and exporters are much more equipped in terms of resources and knowledge. Hence, when it comes to innovation in coffee production, Brazil is always ahead of the curve.
About 80% of Brazilian coffee is processed naturally. This is due to different factors, especially because the labor force is relatively expensive in Brazil due to very strict labor laws. High labor costs, favorable terrain in some regions and the fact that many coffee farms in Brazil have good infrastructure, leads to the fact that Brazilian coffee production is more mechanized than other production origins.
One interesting fact about coffee is that care during the harvesting or other processes is quite related to the quality of coffee produced. Especially in Brazil, the coffee community is using its relative wealth and resources to produce more interesting and delicious coffee.
The major three innovations in Brazilian coffee production that are slowly gaining momentum are: picking, processing and fermentation.
Picking
Compared with other origins, coffee tends to grow at “mountain” areas in Brazil. This combined with the lack of machinery adapted to these terrains, means that manual pickup is often used to strip the coffee cherries of the trees. If this is done only once a season, the farmers are left with a lot of immature cherries. So, in order to optimize the selection of the mature cherries, a good processing is necessary.
Processing
Producing naturals and pulp naturals is what Brazil is best known for. So, it’s natural that these processes get developed first.
At higher altitude or the small production farms, farmers are innovating the way they dry coffee, because the space is small there. So, as an innovation, small huts with fermentation tanks with mesh floors are being installed, along with solar panels, in which is a turbine produces warm or cold air flow based on drying demand.
The drying method in these huts includes first filling the tanks with a 5 ton of cherries, then spraying the controlled air flow through the mesh and onto the cherries. The whole process takes about 30 days to complete. However, this process is slower than others, but provides a stable dry environment and temperature for drying.
Fermentation
Some major coffee producing companies in Brazil are also experimenting with yeast fermentation. Brazilian coffee growers generally have no energy or desire to ferment coffee due to the time and resource it involves. Brazilian coffee production tradition has been focusing on volume and quality consistency. However, the times are changing and now experimenting with fermentation has begun.
The basic concept is to use natural yeast culture in a stable tank/environment. This bacterial culture then survives in the tank and affects the cherries in a manner that it can improve quality if well managed.
Brazil is a unique coffee-producing region with land, infrastructure, capital and a great deal of freedom to focus on innovation. In other words, Brazilian producers have the resources to experiment with coffee production and several major coffee farms in Brazil are gradually adopting newer measures in coffee production.
