Origin : Brazil
Region: Conceição do Rio Verde.
Altitude: 1070 - 1116 masl
Producer: Fazenda Rio Verde
Variety: Yellow Catuai
Process: Anaerobic Natural
Tasting Notes: Light and sweet with notes of melon and honeycomb.
The Mantiqueira mountains (in tupi guarani native language, "crying mountain") is a mountain range in the Southeast of Brazil, with parts in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro. It extends northeastward for approximately 500 kilometers.
With a total area of 1,566 hectares, of which 626 hectares are dedicated to coffee production, 167 hectares to other crops and 773 hectares to environmental preservation areas, Fazenda Rio Verde is located in the municipality of Conceição do Rio Verde.
The region has fertile clay soils, mountainous topography with altitudes varying between 900 and 1,330 meters, subtropical climate with dry winter and average of 1,550mm of rainfall per year.
Varieties as Yellow Bourbon, Yellow Catuai and Red Acaia stand out in the 69 glebes of the farm. These characteristics, combined with different sun faces, are conducive to the production of high quality coffees.
Rio Verde is one of the smaller farms nestled in the wider estate. Founded in 1887, it is the oldest of the company’s farms. Located in the heart of the Mantiqueira de Minas Mountains, this 1,566 hectare farm is a true natural sanctuary, where coffees are grown at elevations of up to 1,300 meters above sea level, surrounded by virgin forests, waterfalls, springs and hiking trails. In fact, the farm is home to 52 catalogued springs, all of which are protected. Only 626 hectares of the farm are given over to coffee production, with a full 773 hectares being devoted to conservation. To this end, Ipanema has created the Environment Monitoring Centre (EMC), which has been installed in an old henhouse on the farm. The Centre monitors farm management practices relating to water use, soil fertility and erosion, vegetation and climate.