Our Brazil Cerrado, which we call by the more generic name “Santos,” is sourced through our friends at Ally Coffee, who have named this particular selection Paubrasil.

Paubrasil is named for Brazil’s national tree and exemplifies the consistent quality created by Brazil’s seasoned farmers, who use all available technologies to advance production by growing coffees that offer balanced, smooth profiles, despite changing environmental conditions.

About the Region

Cerrado Mineiro is an ideal coffee-growing region in Brazil. Situated in high-altitude at nearly 800-1300 masl and flat terrain. This mild climate lets coffee cherries ripen consistently. Since the 1960's, after much work re-working the irrigation in the land, the region produces a large portion of cattle, beef, and coffee exports.

Located in the southeastern area of Brazil, it produces an average of 5 million bags of coffee every year. The farmers in this region are rightfully proud of their coffee and their region is the first to receive protected Designation of Origin status in 2005 with full designation in 2013. This means coffee labelled “Cerrado” must actually come from Cerrado, similar to the rules protecting Spanish ham or Champagne. In order to officially receive the designation, the coffee must be specialty and earn a 80+ point on the Q-grading scale. Along with other requirements such The Cerrado Coffee Growers Federation’s website states, “A Designation of Origin is a demarcated territory that produces a product that has unique characteristics that cannot be found anywhere else.” 

More About the Farms

Paubrasil’s contributing producers belong to one of nine cooperatives or six associations affiliated with the Cerrado Coffee Growers Federation, have signed a statement of good practices in accordance with Brazilian labor laws, and store coffee in accredited warehouses post-harvest. Because of this agreement, Cerrado is home to many of the country’s celebrated coffee estates, with expertise in planting, harvesting, drying, and sorting. 

Coffees certified with the Designation of Origin are grown on farms in an area encompassing 55 municipalities that produce coffees with a unique identity, resulting from the combination of climate, soil, terrain, elevation, and the “know-how” of producers.

Of those 5 million bags per year, around 4,500 coffee growers are responsible of that production. 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.

Why Traceability?

Because sustainability matters to us at Ferris, bringing a traceable coffee into our line-up was a no-brainer. Our sourcing methods focus on building sustainable, long-term relationships with coffee producers. The term “sustainable” is used a lot, and each company defines that term a little differently. For Ferris, we think sustainable supply chains have to be financially viable for all parties, and need to have an emphasis on preserving the resources used to make what we do possible.

Each container of Paubrasil is traceable back to the farm(s) where it was grown through a QR code linking to an online profile compiled prior to shipping the coffee. Paubrasil coffee is transparently certified as part of the Regiao Cerrado Mineiro Designation of Origin Program. This means detailed information about the farm, farmer, and coffee is available at all stages of the supply chain. From green bean buyers to home brewers, everyone can learn more about where their coffee is from.

What to Expect from this Coffee

One of the reason we are delighted to continue to bring this coffee to customers is because we believe the quality of beans produced in the region's rich soil and natural processes. Once the cherry ripens to a dark red or yellow color, they remove them from the coffee trees. In the Cerrado Mineiro region, most farms are mid- to large-scale estates that plant their coffee trees in neat rows to take advantage of the relatively gentle slopes of the land to harvest coffee cherries mechanically with a that tractor passes through the rows and pulls the cherries off the trees into a hopper.

Paubrasil delivers the best of a classic natural processed coffee from the Cerrado and is Ally’s Core Coffee from Brazil. Natural process means the cherries are dried with their skins on, allowing for the sugary layer under the skin to be absorbed into the beans as they dry in the patios and beds. This is how you get the sweet tasting notes and earthy tones in your brew. 

Our light roast has notes of roasted peanuts and dark chocolate with a heavy body. Acidity levels are very mild, so expect it to be a very approachable coffee choice. If you haven't given coffee from Brazil a chance, Santos is a great single-origin choice to welcome you.