Brazil
Cerrado Mineiro
Jorge Fernando Naimeg
Fazenda Pantano
Yellow Catuai
Natural
July–September
Caramel, Raspberry, Almond
1150 meters
N/A
60 kg w/ GrainPro
UK - Bury St Edmunds - Vollers
The story of the Naimeg family farms goes back to August 17, 1938, when Gerson Naimeg was born in Conselheiro Pena, Minas Gerais to a father recently immigrated from Germany and a Brazilian mother. As a young man he moved his family to the northern state of Paraná in 1957, where he married Hercília Mafra from Botelhos in Southern Minas Gerais. Together they had six children: Joseph Ali, Carlos, Nilza, Gerson, Mauro, and Jorge Fernando.
In 1962, after working for a coffee trader at the Northern Company of Paraná, Gerson acquired his first piece of land and was able to show his passion for coffee by planting a farm in the northern region of Paraná. The family-owned Naimeg group was founded in 1965 as an organization dedicated to the highest qualities of coffee.
In 1981, after the crop had been devastated by three major frosts, Gerson decided to go to the mountains of Minas Gerais and acquired Fazenda Pântano in the city of Coromandel. The family now has three additional farms: Bela Vista, Ouro Verde, and Londrina, administered by Jorge Fernando Naimeg. The six siblings remain united, having preserved their family’s history and legacy for more than fifty years.
The family farms cover 394 hectares, with 190 hectares planted with coffee, and all coffee harvested is processed at the mill at Fazenda Pântano. The trees flower in September and October for the harvest the following July to September. The average temperature is 21° C. The farm grows several varieties of Catuai in addition to Topazio, Mundo Novo, Acacia Cerrado, Rubi, Paraiso, and Catucai.
This lot of Yellow Catuai coffee underwent Natural processing. Catuai was made by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas, Brazil by crossing Mundo Novo and Caturra varieties. Catuai coffees are cultivated widely across Brazil, and are known for their high productivity potential.
The Cerrado Mineiro region, located in northwest of Minas Gerais State, is a world-recognized, high-quality coffee producing origin and became the first Protected Geographical Indication in Brazil in 2005, with full Designation of Origin in 2013. A strong characteristic of this region is its well-defined seasons—a hot, wet summer followed by a pleasantly dry winter. The dry climate during harvest eliminates potential problems with humidity during the drying process.
Minas Gerais is Brazil’s principal agricultural state, and the Cerrado is home to many of the country’s celebrated coffee estates, with expertise in planting, harvesting, drying, and sorting. We love Cerrado coffees for their big body, rich chocolate notes, and velvety texture when pulled as espresso.
Today, the area’s 4,500 farmers produce a combined average of 6 million bags per harvest, with an average of 35 bags per hectare. To reach these production levels, producers had to first adapt to the region’s conditions. Coffee farmers first arrived in Cerrado in the 1970’s, after being pushed out of the state of Parana by frost and out of the state of Sao Paulo by nematodes. They found the soil in Cerrado to be very acidic, which they rectified with the application of calcium to create the healthy soils they enjoy today.
Cerrado coffee farms are cultivated in areas with elevations varying between 800 and 1,300 meters above sea level and are known for consistently producing high quality coffees with a repeatable profile. Independent of farm size, the spirit of professionalism is present throughout Cerrado’s coffee producers. Entrepreneurialism is part of farmers’ DNA, and many producers are second or third generation growers who also hold degrees in agronomic engineering, business management, and administration. While each family narrative is different, Cerrado is characterized by an enterprising attitude.
