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Heavy downpours in Brazil threaten quality of premium arabica coffee

Brazil, which produces about 45% of arabica, saw June rains wash roughly 20% of cherries off trees in Cerrado Mineiro, and July showers forced some growers to restart drying.

Reported · Written up by our desk · Energy Transition

Heavy downpours in Brazil are disrupting harvest and degrading quality in key arabica growing regions, tightening supplies of the premium beans used for high end blends. Bloomberg, via LiveMint Markets, says the rains delayed harvesting and left ripe coffee cherries soaking in waterlogged soil, raising the risk of moldy, musty flavors.

The article notes that washed cherries can develop higher levels of fermentation, which alters the taste of the final beverage. Simão de Lima, CEO of the Expocacer cooperative that represents more than 800 growers in the Cerrado Mineiro region, said the quality problems have had a significant impact.

The setbacks are particularly important because Brazil is the world’s biggest arabica producer, supplying around 45% of the variety. While the country is heading for a bumper crop this time around, the quality challenge is clouding the supply outlook.

In Cerrado Mineiro, about 600 kilometers north of São Paulo, farmers had just started harvesting when rains in June knocked ripe cherries to the ground across the arabica belt, with some fruit soaking for days. The article estimates about 20% of the crop’s cherries were washed off the trees versus roughly 5% to 7% in a typical year, and a second wave of rains in July forced some growers to restart the drying process.

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