Region: Mantiqueira de Minas, Minas Gerais
Elevation: 1000-1300 masl
About: For more than 40 years, the Carneiro family has cultivated coffee in the mountains outside Carmo de Minas, a city world-renowned for its coffee heritage. The region was awarded a Denomination of Origin certificate—a legal designation identifying a product as originating from a specific geographical area—meaning its quality and characteristics are directly tied to the unique conditions of that region.
Today, the farm is run by Glaucio Carneiro and his nephews, Paulo Sérgio and José Clóvis. Unlike much of Brazil, the harvest at Fazenda Coqueiro is performed by hand, as its mountainous terrain makes it impossible to use mechanical pickers. Hand-picking ensures that only the perfectly ripe cherries are selected, resulting in a tastier coffee. On a recent trip to Brazil, we visited Coqueiro with Jonatas (José Clóvis’ son) to explore the farm and tour their processing facility.
Spotted on the drying patio under some shade trees was a collection of blue drums that have become synonymous with anaerobic processing (known as fermented processing in Brazil). Fermented/anaerobic processing from Brazil? Yes, please.
