Brazil has the most registered Coffee GI regions in the world. Photo credit: Renata Silva
Brazil produces 33% of the global coffee supply and has been the largest coffee producer in the world for the last 150 years. According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO), one of three cups of coffee worldwide is Brazilian. In recent years, Brazil has focused on improving cup quality across 34 different regions spanning most of the country and in cultivating unique flavors that testify to the country's rich coffee heritage.
Among Brazil’s 34 regions, 15 are protected with geographic indicators (GI). Each is recognized for its unique complex flavors that are in harmony with nature, preserve local traditions, and deliver memorable experiences to consumers. These GIs, championed by small and medium-sized producers, have added value to Brazilian coffee, empowered local development, and created favorable conditions for them to live in rural areas with a good quality of life.
The EU’s system inspires Brazil’s GI system; each is based on sui generis and adds value to the product (coffee) and the producing region. As in the EU, there are two different GI classes in the country:
- Indication of Provenance (IP), which values and acknowledges the origin of its public notoriety in producing products with a differential in quality.
- Designation of Origin (DO), in which the region’s physical landscape (terroir) and human characteristics add quality differentials to the product, making it unique and exclusive from the region.
Brazil has 15 Coffee GI regions in three different biomes, and the potential for more is promising. Another 20 regions are in the process of certification, a testament to the country's commitment to preserving its coffee heritage and offering consumers a diverse range of high-quality, distinct coffees.
The GIs value is in acknowledging and protecting Brazilian natural and human wealth. Fifteen regions in three different biomes—Amazon, Cerrado (Brazilian Savanah), and Mata Atlântica (Brazilian rainforest)—offer high-quality arabicas and robustas with distinct flavors. And the future looks even brighter, with another 20 regions eagerly waiting to be certified. Already, they are producing specialty coffees with unique characteristics that should be protected formally, promising a rich and diverse future for Brazilian coffee.
Cerrado Mineiro was the First Brazilian Coffee GI
Cerrado Mineiro was the first region to gain IP status in 2005 and was certified DO in 2013. Photo credit: Renata Silva
Cerrado Mineiro region, the first Brazilian coffee GI (IP - 2005, DO - 2013), celebrated 1 million bags of coffee with a seal of origin and quality
He adds that coffee with the Cerrado Mineiro region DO seal was launched worldwide for the first time in 2023. The campaign will be carried out in partnership with Illycaffè - an Italian coffee company. “It is a market positioning action by IG do Cerrado Mineiro, with the delivery of a quality product to consumers and, consequently, of greater value to producers,” concludes Tarabal.
Adding value to coffee through the GI seal is a long-term strategy that calls for promotion and prestige to generate product demand. Coffee producer Ana Cecília Velloso has been trading her coffee with Cerrado Mineiro’s DO seal since 2014. She considers it a big challenge to add value solely through the seal. “The [DO] seal is a warranty of quality and origin. From one side, we see Brazilian coffee shops looking for the GI seals and valuing them more, but, on the other hand, we see international buyers still awakening to the numerous different regions in Brazil,” Ana Cecília told us.
According to producer Eduardo Pereira, also located in Cerrado Mineiro, the seal adds value to the product by bringing traceability and trust in its origin and quality. “The seal can add around 10% to 20% to the final price. I trade my coffee using our DO seal, and at the end of the day, I get a bonus for it. While the market tags a 60-kilo bag at R$1000,00, I can sell my coffee at around R$1200,00, on average.” (In April 2024, R1200 is worth $241.13 USD)
In April 2023, the average price for Brazilian arabica was R1106.4 Reals.
Matas de Rondônia—quality and sustainability
Strict sustainable criteria must be met before growers can achieve the coveted Matas de Rondônia DO seal. Photo credit: Renata Silva
In the Amazon biome in Brazil, IG Matas de Rondônia is committed to adding value through quality and sustainability. This is the first sustainable DO for the Coffea canephora species worldwide. To be part of this GI, producers in the region must meet coffee quality criteria—above 80 points on the SCA scale—and the Global Coffee Platform’s sustainability curriculum.
“We producers know that we need to produce with efficiency, quality, and sustainability; that’s what we’re doing here,” emphasizes Juan Travain, who is a coffee grower and president of the Association of Coffee Growers in the Matas de Rondônia Region (Caferon). “We have coffee exported to other countries, meeting the required criteria and giving producers a higher added value. In addition to preserving the environment, coffee production must be viable so that small and medium-sized producers can manage their crops well.”
According to data from the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), the coffee area in Rondônia has reduced by around 70% in 20 years, with a 60% increase in production. Productivity, on the other hand, increased by more than 500% in this same period, demonstrating greater efficiency in land use with the adoption of technologies. This promotes higher income per area for coffee growers without harming the environment. According to Embrapa, coffee production in the Matas de Rondônia region can improve further without deforestation.
The Matas de Rondônia region has proven that sustainable coffee can yield high volumes without further deforestation. Photo credit: Renata Silva
Brazil has taken big steps to add value to coffees grown in Brazil’s GIs. A governmental initiative (through SEBRAE, CNA, and ABDI) is putting effort into developing a digital platform to gather all Brazilian coffee GIs, bringing control and traceability and promoting and easing the process of coffee trade. According to coffee specialist and exporter Edgar Bressani, coffee quality is on top of what adds value to coffee. Still, this digital platform may bring the GI seal to the spotlight. “This platform is pioneering in Brazil and must be promoted so the GI seal may add value to specialty coffees produced in these regions. It is also expected that coffee exporters commit to the traceability of the coffees being traded, too”, completes Edgar. This digital platform is expected to be launched in June 2024 at World of Coffee Copenhagen.