Brazil Amarelo Mantiqueira

Amarelo Mantiqueira is picked from just Yellow Bourbon variety, and processed on individual farms before resting in wood lined silos. The beans are then laser sorted, cupped, and graded before blending and exporting.

The Serra de Mantiqueira is a mountain range that stretches across São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro states. Located in Minas Gerais, the Mantiqueria de Minas area was the first to get a geographical indication in the Brazilian coffee industry (supported and developed by BSCA). This fresh approach, akin to ‘terroir’ in the wine industry, has redefined how people view specialty coffee from Brazil.

The area comprises 69,500 hectares and altitude ranges from 900 to 1,500 masl, with 25 counties in the region and 7,800 producers; 89% are smallholders. Ascarive itself has around 45 members and is the Fairtrade certified sister company of Cocarive. Many farms provide coffee for both.

The lower altitudes are often grazed by cattle and having steeper slopes compared to other parts of the state mean that the near ubiquitous mechanisation of the coffee industry in Brazil is much less commonly seen, and hand picking more prevalent. Though both red and yellow cherries are grown across the region, altitude often splits the choices, with yellow generally but not exclusively being grown at higher elevations. 

Ascarive source from a number of farms that also grow competition microlots at the highest altitudes and so employ the same quality mindset across their entire estate. In an area that has received multiple awards within the Brazilian coffee industry for years, it’s not surprising that many Cup of Excellence winners are from here, and form part of both co-operatives.