Fazendas vs. Sitios: Coffee Farms in Brazil

On a recent trip to Brazil, RNY’s Richard Borg & Signe Owen had the opportunity to visit a lot of coffee farms in Minas Gerais. They visited fazendas and sitios, both of which are different kinds of coffee farms in Brazil. Signe shares how they differ in location, size, growing practices, and more!

Fazendas

Brazil is the largest coffee producing country in the world. In order to produce that large a quantity of coffee, you need efficient agricultural tactics. While this is good for production, it can be reflected in the overall product. This brings us to our first topic of discussion: fazendas. Fazendas are large, sprawling farms. They’re located at relatively low altitude and are generally quite flat. In fact, fazendas need to be flat so machines are able to drive in and out of rows of coffee trees as all picking on fazendas is mechanized.

When we visited Fazenda Jabine, we learned some interesting growing techniques used by larger farms to get a high yield while minimizing labor. For example, pruning on particularly large fazendas is rather invasive. If production on a tree starts to wane, the majority of the tree will be cut.

Pictured is an area of Fazenda Jabine with chopped trees that are about 30 years old. It will take roughly 1–2 years for these trees to fully grow back. Since the farms stagger their growing periods, other trees on the farm will continue to produce while waiting for these to reach the right age to be harvested. Altogether, fazendas produce staple coffees that are the backbone of coffee shops and roasteries around the world. Coffees produced there have a classic high body with notes of chocolate and nuts.

Sitios

Alternatively, sitios operate on a smaller scale and in a very different environment. As sitios are found at a much higher altitude and commonly on steep mountains, mechanized picking is not possible. The weather is cooler because of the high altitude, so it takes longer for the cherries to ripen. In turn, this allows them to develop more complex flavors. Additionally, sitios are family-owned and operated! We had the wonderful opportunity to meet the families of many sitios, see their farms, and learn their methods of farming.

There was one fundamental belief that we witnessed on sitios that affected the way they farmed: their farms are their homes. All of their coffee fields sit right near their houses, so every sitio was pesticide-free as whatever they use in their trees ends up in their water, and the land and trees were treated with respect. Much of the farming is done manually with a lot of care and intent. While this means the yield is very high quality, it does mean less quantity than fazendas. Being a family-owned operation is truly special, something we learned about Sitio Amoreira. The family has been growing coffee for 90 years, and we found out that they’ve been able to send their children to university because of their hard work.

Challenges of Owning Sitios over Fazendas

One challenge of working on an independent farm is the unpredictable weather that comes with an ever-changing climate. Some years may bring droughts, and some may bring heavier rain. Because of the farm size, a year with poor crop yield can be incredibly damaging. That being said, many sitios have ways around these issues, such as planting drought-resistant trees that have saved their coffee trees on many occasions. Another common tree we saw to counter farm issues was one that was genetically altered to be resistant to rust.

Instead of irrigation, the sitios we visited would rely on their regular rainy season to water their trees. To add minerals to the soil, farmers would typically sprinkle ground up rocks or use manure and corn husks for compost. Pruning would also be done by hand and on a much less invasive scale than fazendas. All of the drying is done on site, and many sitios have a homemade drying system. While all have expansive drying patios, mechanical dryers are a necessity when it rains.

Final Thoughts

In summary, Royal New York is proud to carry coffee from Brazilian sitios! At every farm we visited, we were treated like family. All of the hard work they put in every year is reflected in their product. Their coffees are complex, fruity, sweet, and we can’t wait to share what will arrive! Here are some upcoming offerings we will have from different sitios:

Sitio Barra Grande: RNY # 55702 & RNY # 55749

Notes of chocolate, hazelnut, and butterscotch. Nice and sweet with a substantial body.

Sitio Gamelao: RNY # 55704

Rich and chocolatey, with top notes of pineapple and pomegranate.

Sitio Caliara: RNY # 55703

Very bright and sweet with notes of dark cherry, tangerine, and maple.