Brazil Santos is a 100 percent blend that consistently captures the qualities this region is celebrated for: a well-balanced body, sweet chocolate and citric notes, and a light acidity. It’s a profile that has been carefully established over time, thanks to our close relationship with Stockler, our sister export company in Brazil. In southwestern Minas Gerais, is known for its homogeneous climate and altitude. The average temperature is around 68°F, an average rainfall of 1,600 mm falls reliably from December to March, and the altitude lightly rolls from 900 to 1,250 meters above sea level. Such consistency is a big help to producers—who can focus on quality and production, instead of the weather—and to our colleagues at Stockler. “The main thing is the uniformity,” says Alexandre Ferraz, a Q Grader and Coffee Trader. “The weather conditions allow for a lot of control, and the farmers are very professional and very high tech. Their use of harvesting machines, for example, allows them to better control the exact moment to harvest, which also contributes to uniformity.” It’s home to approximately 140,000 hectares of dedicated coffee production and approximately 3,600 coffee producers, the majority of whom are organized into large cooperatives. Stockler enjoys working with the same farmers, and has strong relationships across the region, but the contributors to Santos change each year, as the focus in on an absolutely consistent cup profile. For Brazil Santos, a consistent cup profile is the priority.
