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South American coffees are
grown in the mountainous regions stretching from Colombia,
Bolivia and Peru to Brazil. These regions produce a large family
of coffees that manifest a bright and lively acidity with a
clean smooth finish. |
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Brazil:
The coffee industry in Brazil was started in the early 1720s with seedlings obtained from French Guiana. The coffee industry thrived, mainly due to the fact that one-third of its landscape is suitable for coffee cultivation. By 1845 Brazilian coffee already accounted for the largest portion of world production. With a seemingly endless expanses available for its production, coffee plantations in Brazil often cover immense areas of land, need hundreds of people to manage and operate them, and produce huge quantities of coffee.
One thing Brazil coffee is not as high-grown. Growing elevations in Brazil range from about 2,000 feet to 4,000 feet, far short of the 5,000-plus elevations common for fine coffees produced in Central America, Colombia, and East Africa. Lower growing altitudes means that Brazil coffees are relatively low in acidity.
Brazilian coffees have flavors referred to being soft, hard or Rio. The soft flavored coffees are grown in Sao Paulo and southern Minas Gerais and exported through Santos. The best of these coffees are described as being nutty and smooth with medium acidity and body.
|
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
30.326.166 |
| 2002 |
44.160.166 |
| 2003 |
33.117.833 |
| 2004 |
41.095.160 |
| 2005 |
35.669.500 |
| 2006 |
42.889.000 |
| 2007 |
36.304.000 |
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Bolivia:
Bolivia is a country of very small farmers who have been left out of the gourmet coffee market until just a few years ago. With a landscape of snowy mountains, wide plateaus and tropical rain forests, Bolivia has ideal coffee-producing conditions. More than 90 percent of the coffee grown in Bolivia is produced in the Yungas area, a tropical region in La Paz with altitudes between 500 and 1,600 meters. Other important growing regions are Cochabamba, Santa Cruz and Tarija. The coffee has a fruity full flavor. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
411.166 |
| 2002 |
413.150 |
| 2003 |
411.500 |
| 2004 |
420.800 |
| 2005 |
432.100 |
| 2006 |
458.133 |
| 2007 |
458.000 |
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Colombia:
The first coffee seedlings were brought to Colombia in 1808 via the French Antilles by Jesuit Missionaries. A popular legend claims that one of the missionaries, father Romero, encouraged his congregation to plant coffee beans as a form of penance.
Colombia accounts for approximately 13% of exportable coffee production worldwide. It is by far the largest producer of washed arabica coffees. The coffee beans are generally well sorted and sold as either Supremo (large coffee beans) or Excelso (small coffee beans).
There are two main regions of coffee production in Colombia: Medillín, Armenia, and Manizales in the central region and Bogotá and Bucaramanga in the eastern mountainous region.
Colombia coffee at its finest is, like Costa Rica, a classic. No quality is extreme. The body tends to be medium, the acidity vibrant but not overbearing, and the cup lively and nuanced by understated fruit tones. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
10.936.000 |
| 2002 |
11.614.000 |
| 2003 |
11.568.000 |
| 2004 |
11.343.000 |
| 2005 |
11.558.000 |
| 2006 |
11.600.000 |
| 2007 |
11.833.000 |
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Ecuador:
Both Arabica and Robusta coffees are grown in Ecuador. Typica, Bourbon,
and Caturra Arabica coffee varietals are common and are either dry- or
wet-processed. It is difficult to find Ecuadorian coffee, an
unremarkable coffee, with a medium body, and sharp acidity. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
2.746.500 |
| 2002 |
1.319.166 |
| 2003 |
1.378.600 |
| 2004 |
1.442.000 |
| 2005 |
1.715.333 |
| 2006 |
524.100 |
| 2007 |
541.666 |
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Galapagos Islands:
At 600 miles from Ecuador in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, the Galapagos Islands captured the world's attention when Charles Darwin visited them in 1835. In 1869 a group of French explorers and coffee lovers planted the first coffee trees on the islands, where they flourished in the clean pure climate. Coffee trees flourish in the clean pure climate on the San Cristobal Island Estate in the Galapagos Islands and produce some of the world's best organic coffee beans. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
Ecuador |
| 2002 |
Ecuador |
| 2003 |
Ecuador |
| 2004 |
Ecuador |
| 2005 |
Ecuador |
| 2006 |
Ecuador |
| 2007 |
Ecuador |
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Peru:
Because of its mild character, Peruvian coffee is used for blending, French roasts, and as a flavored-coffee base. Some good coffee can be found high in the Andes in the Chanchamayo and Urubamba Valleys, and northern Peru is developing a reputation as a producer of good quality, certified organic coffees. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
2.665.600 |
| 2002 |
2.971.500 |
| 2003 |
3.385.800 |
| 2004 |
3.743.000 |
| 2005 |
2.916.000 |
| 2006 |
4.305.100 |
| 2007 |
3.833.666 |
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Venezuela:
The highest quality Venezuelan coffee is grown in the western part of the country near the Colombian border. Maraciabos, as this coffee is known, refers to the port from which the coffee is shipped. The most famous Maraciabos are Cucuta, Merida, Trujillo, and Tachira. Coffee grown in the eastern mountains is called Caracas, after the capital city. Venezuelan coffees differ from other coffees grown in the region in that they are much lower acidity. |
| Annual production |
| Year |
60kg Bags |
| 2001 |
1.531.333 |
| 2002 |
1.407.800 |
| 2003 |
1.071.800 |
| 2004 |
1.191.600 |
| 2005 |
1.074.500 |
| 2006 |
1.238.100 |
| 2007 |
1.250.500 |
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