Farm info

When Inacio Carlos Urban first arrived in Minas Gerais in 1976, he brought with him his dream of feeding the world and his passion for coffee. In 1984, he bought a farm in Cerrado Mineiro and named it Rio Brilhante, planting his first coffee trees in a sustainable and innovative way.

Growing from Inacio’s vision, today Grupo Farroupilha has more than 40 years of experience in the agribusiness market and offers a variety of products—cotton, beans, corn, cattle, soybean, tomato, and wheat—in addition to coffee. All production prioritizes sustainability and guarantees quality.

Rio Brilhante coffee is grown on two farms across 1600 acres at an average elevation of 1150 meters above sea level in the Pantano microregion of Cerrado. Coffee from Rio Brilhante is produced according to stringent criteria for social and environmental best practices.

Learn more about Harvesting and Processing in Cerrado Mineiro.

Region

Cerrado Mineiro

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 Paolo 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.