Ipanema Coffees invested $10 million in technology at its new coffee processing mill on the Rio Verde Farm, Brazil
By Kelly Stein
Viewed from above, a giant shiny sci-fi metallic caterpillar contrasts with the peaceful deep green landscape of rural Mantiqueira de Minas. The silent hills and slow rhythm of the seasons were disturbed the past four years as restless engineers, scientists, contractors, and architects built a model of modern coffee science.
Ipanema Agricola has been growing coffee since 1887 and at 4,230 hectares, with 70% of its land under 14 million coffee trees, its four farms make Ipanema the largest of Brazil’s specialty coffee suppliers, producing 135,000 60-kilo bags per year.
Washington Rodrigues, Ipanema Coffee’s c.e.o, says that the experimental concepts in the new mill date to 2014 when the firm began seeking partnerships with suppliers offering high-tech, semi-automated machinery. The objective was clear from the beginning: ally expertise, know-how, technology, and a very innovative approach to improve coffee quality at lower operating costs.
“The modern, efficient, and automated milling plant is capable of integrating dry and wet processes,” says Rodrigues. For example, “the milling facility allows Ipanema to wash coffee in several different ways. Drying is accomplished in several modalities: patios, raised beds, polished concrete greenhouse, or covered raised beds,” he said.
ALSO: Ipanema Coffee’s Unique Mobile APP
Each processing step was reviewed with an eye for introducing greater efficiency. The drying patio, for example, is on high ground and away from shade trees to improve aeration. To level the floor, 50,722 cubic meters of soil was removed and used to build a water reservoir with a capacity of 2 million liters. The 66,000 m2 flooded area is visible in the photo above. Landscaping is respectful of the curves of nature, with soft and slightly rounded lines that mirror the surrounding mountains.
The tall rounded shape of the mill reduces the visual impact on the surroundings and the edges of the surrounding patio are neatly contoured with perimeter roads for access.
The slender and arched design of the building housing the mill required less structural material. The elongated shape facilitates eventual changes in the positioning of equipment and optimizes the use of space. Larger machines are on the floor level with smaller assets installed above. The concrete floor is covered with a special urethane coating to protect against chemical corrosion, wear, and with light reflectivity that contributes to lower utility bills. Colors demarcate safe pathways and the antibacterial properties of the surface material is greater than conventional coverings.
The combination wet mill and dry mill is useful in processing small lots that require different types of preparation.
Inside the facility, a stainless steel wet mill guarantees better hygiene during coffee processing. The machinery lowers water consumption and electrical costs. Nearby dry mills efficiently process ripe cherry. Constructed in three layers (each with a capacity of 5,000 liters) dryers require three times the airflow but at lower temperatures compared to conventional dryers. Ipanema’s specialists assure that this change in their drying routine preserves sensorial profiles of each lot and avoids harm caused by traditional dryers that operate at higher temperatures.
Batches are up to 16,000 liters, each from a different microlot, (referred to as glebes, a historical description of the amount of land needed to support a clergyman).
These small lots are integral to the harvest strategy. Pulped natural, natural, honey, and fully washed processing enrich the company’s portfolio by making it practical to meet the needs of any roaster. Ipanema offers green coffee in 16 sensorial profiles. The possibilities are countless. The farm’s processing capabilities enable roasters to order a combination of varietals that benefit from best practices of soil management through processing. Rodrigues states proudly that this is a “one-of-a kind mill.”
He cites this example: Ipanema Coffees designated 32 coffee glebes at altitudes from 1,000 to 1,330 meters above sea level. The lots are planted in yellow bourbon, yellow catuai and acaciá (a Mundo Novo hybrid). These varieties are combined to make up the Grano Segreto Collection that debuted at the Specialty Coffee Expo 2018 in Seattle.
From the injection of $10 million, 80% was exclusively dedicated to the new milling structure’s study and implementation in the last two years with 10% allocated to other projects such as: forest preservation (environmental monitoring and water factory program), educational programs, the development of a museum, eco-friendly trails used for educational purposes and the Concept House. What is left of the total investment is dedicated to marketing and communicating the story of Ipenema.
In Brazil, where 80% of coffee producers are smallholders with properties of 5 to 20 hectares, the 4,230 hectares enclosed by the Rio Verde, Conquista, Capoeirinha, and Sant’Ana farms make Ipanema exceptionally large, yet nimble and progressive.
The company’s legacy of science-based innovation and technology has been central to its success since the first plant was cultivated in Rio Verde in 1887.
Facts about Rio Verde Farm
• Located at Conceição do Rio Verde municipality, Minas Gerais state;
• Area: 1,566 hectares, of which 626 hectares are dedicated to coffee production, 167 to other crops and 773 hectares to environmental preservation;
• Terroir: Fertile clay soils, mountainous topography, altitudes varying between 900 and 1,330 meters, subtropical climate with dry winter and average of 1,550 ml of annual rainfall.
• Productivity: Rio Verde Farm yields and average 36 bags per hectare