Caparaó
The Caparaó Region, located between Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo, is renowned for its steep, mountainous terrain and 100% manual coffee harvesting. Its complex terroir and selective picking throughout the year produce specialty coffees with smooth, sweet flavors, chocolate and caramel notes, bright citrus acidity, and a long, persistent finish. Recognized nationally, Caparaó consistently delivers award-winning micro-lots of exceptional quality.
Managing Entity
- APEC (Caparaó Coffee Producers Association)
Geographic Characteristics
- Relief: Undulating to mountainous, with altitudes ranging from 700 m to 1,500 m
- Average annual temperature: 19°C to 22°C
- Relative humidity: 40% to 60%
- Average rainfall: 1,200 mm to 1,600 mm/year
- Soil: From litholic and haplic cambisols to deep, weathered soils such as red-yellow latosols and red-yellow argisols
Climate
- Summer: Rainy and mild
- Winter: Cold and dry
- Climate type: Tropical highland
Production and Cultivation
- Coffee cultivation: 100% in mountainous regions
- Approximately 84% of farmers live on their own farms
- Harvesting: 100% manual, over roughly 8 months, selective picking with early and late harvests to enhance terroir complexity
- Post-harvest processing: Specialty coffee lots sealed after physical and sensory analysis with minimum 80 points; QR-code applied for traceability
Sensory Profile
- Aroma: Notes of chocolate, caramel, molasses, brown sugar, rapadura, and honey
- Acidity: Predominantly citrus
- Flavor: Smooth and very sweet
- Finish: Persistent
Production Statistics
- Cultivated area: 93,320 hectares
- Producers: 34,558
- Average annual production: 2.5 million 60-kg bags
- Mechanization: 0% (fully manual harvesting)
Main Varieties
- Catucaí IAC 44 Red, Catucaí IAC 144 Red, Catucaí 785-15 Red, Catucaí 24-137