What You Should Know about Brazil's Harvest

The Arabica harvest started in the first few days of May and is projected to continue through the first weeks of September. Robusta harvesting began in mid-March and should end by the end of July. “Volume for Arabica is up 13% compared to 2022/2023 but it’s still not bigger than the landmark 2020/2021 season,” says Romulo Carlos Bueno Ruela, Field Research Coordinator at Sucafina Brazil. “And the Robusta harvest is slightly increased by 1% compared to last year.”

In the last two harvests we had dry harvests, which favored the drying of the coffees and the quality of the cups, Romulo explains, and coffee didn’t dry as well. “Last year, the harvest season was very dry, and this helped process coffees well. This harvest, the weather was wetter, and this impacted drying.” We may see some impacts in this year’s harvest, but many farmers have addressed this issue by using mechanical dryers that can provide consistent heat and dryness, regardless of the weather.

In addition to quality, we’ve also been sourcing sustainably produced coffees from Brazil. IMPACT, Sucafina’s responsible sourcing standard, is expanding its supply chain in Brazil. “We currently have 3 IMPACT supply chains in Brazil,” says Robin Hooft van Huysduynen, Global IMPACT & Sustainability Coordinator. “We will be doubling our IMPACT supply chains in July and August.” IMPACT was recently recognized by the Global Coffee Platform (GCP) as equivalent to the Coffee Sustainability Reference Code (Coffee SR Code), 2nd party assurance. This recognition provides confidence that IMPACT coffee is produced and processed in accordance with global sustainability standards.

Farmers in Sucafina in Brazil’s supply chain were some of the first to achieve IMPACT verification. “IMPACT is bringing additional value to both farmers and roasters,” Robin says. “In Brazil, as in other producing countries, IMPACT coffees are supporting farmers who are looking to improve sustainability on their farms and bringing high-quality, sustainable coffees to roasters at affordable prices.”   

This year, Sucafina Brazil has also been hard at work on a sustainability project that will help improve crop forecasting and coffee quality over time. A project with Agrosmart is placing climate monitoring devices in all the coffee-growing regions in Brazil. These monitoring devices will enable Sucafina and Agrosmart to more accurately forecast conditions and crop size. The data these devices collect will also be used to advise nearby farmers with agronomic advice that’s relevant to the conditions they’re experiencing.  So far, they have placed 25 of the 44 devices.

With the Robusta harvest finishing up and the Arabica harvest in full swing, now is the perfect time to sample and book Brazilian coffees. Get in touch with your trader today.