How Brazilian Coffee Producers Are Responding to Climate Issues
Some of the biggest news in the coffee industry recently has concerned the 2021 drought in Brazil. From December, the country experienced its worst drought in 90 years, followed by particularly strong frosts. The effects of this period were soon evident, with the country’s annual crop decreasing by almost a quarter across its primary growing region, compared to the output seen in 2020; 47.7 million 60kg bags of coffee were produced in 2021, down 24.4%, according to the government’s food supply and statistics agency Conab.
The global effect of this drought period has seen a large reduction in coffee bean supplies and a resulting doubling in wholesale prices when compared to the previous year. This increase in wholesale rates has had an unavoidable impact on commercial prices across the industry, which we have understandably had to accommodate within our own prices at Coffee-Direct.
As always, we are keeping up with any changes to these wholesale costs, so that we can continue to offer our customers the best prices possible. We are also paying close attention to some of the innovative ways in which coffee-producing countries such as Brazil are aiming to adapt to potential future droughts and other climate-related contingencies.
Technology and Coffee Production
Brazil is the world’s largest coffee growing country, producing more than a third of global supplies as of 2020, mostly consisting of high quality arabica beans. The difficulties presented by the recent drought and period of frosts raises a number of questions as to how coffee-producing countries can tackle similar situations in the future. One way that some of Brazil's largest coffee producers are looking to address these concerns is by focusing more on technology as a means to promote the successful growth a processing of coffee beans.
A great example is the Okuyama firm, based on Minas Gerais, which is utilising an app called Cropwise Protector to monitor crop growth and improve coffee bean production. Cropwise Protector is linked to ground sensors and satellite imagery to provide farmers with an analysis of the plantation, allowing them the act upon various requirements picked up by the app. These requirements include drip irrigation and pest control, with solutions on hand that can be applied to very specific areas of a plantation, rather than the entire area, resulting in more efficient and effective crop management.
Brazilian Coffee at Coffee-Direct
This is welcome news and highly encouraging for the future of coffee production, not just in Brazil but in all major coffee-producing countries. It is innovations such as these that will help both coffee producers and sellers to continue to offer coffee beans at affordable, sustainable prices, something that we constantly strive for at Coffee-Direct.
Our Brazil Ipanema coffee is made from an exclusively prepared bourbon variety of cherry beans. This flavoursome, medium-bodied cup offers a smooth, mellow taste and delightful, rich aromas, with a long, pleasant and almondy aftertaste that offers everything you would expect from a quality Brazilian coffee.
Our Santos coffee, named after the Brazilian port where it begins its journey, offers a wonderful low acidity, a lovely aroma and a light-bodied brew that makes it ideal for cafetiere and filter coffees, while our Java Santos coffee, made from a blend of Indonesian Java and Brazilian Santos, creates a wonderfully strong coffee that's full of flavour, but without any bitterness.