Origin: Brazil
Region: Cerrado Mineiro
Cultivar: Topazio
Producer: Rio Brillhante
Process: Natural
Altitude: 900-1150masl
Fazenda Rio Brilhante sits within a micro-region called Pântano, located in the state of Minas Gerais. Pântano isknown for its well-defined seasons, consistent seasonal rain, and overall favorable climate for coffee production. Specifically, these conditions are ideal for producing natural processed coffees, which represents on average 80% of the production of the farm. After picking, the cherries pass through a station that sorts by density - the denser and higher quality cherries are separated in order to create pulped natural and natural coffees that will receive more detail focused fermentation and drying. This Topazio lot comes from the higher areas of the farm where they have focused on planting cultivars that show the greatest potential in the cup.
Rio Brilhante is run by one of the migrant families who left the south of Brazil in search of new opportunities. Inácio Urban, the founder, was born in the southernmost state of the country, Rio Grande do Sul, and is of German descent.
Upon arriving in Brazil, Inácio’s family worked producing agricultural food products but on a much smaller scale. In the 80’s, Inácio foresaw a giant opportunity in the Cerrado Mineiro region. At the time, land in this region was considered undesirable and, as a result, was very cheap. To start, Inácio planted 20 hectares of coffee, as he says "to learn what it is like to grow coffee”. Over the last 40 years he continued to purchase more land and planting more coffee, eventually growing the farm to it’s impressive current size. In 2006 Inácio’s children, Erika Urban and Fernando Urban, joined their father in the management of the farm. The arrival of the second generation of the family represents continuity of work and the possibility of innovation. Noé, Inácio's son-in-law, joined the family and the farm a few years later.
In 2017, Fazenda Rio Brilhante placed 2nd in the Imaflora - Rainforest Alliance and 3rd in the Cerrado Mineiro regional competition. In 2020 the farm was awarded first place in the Ethics and Traceability Award given to farms for their commitment and development of programs to develop people, preserve the environment, and promote responsible agribusiness. Additionally, the farm is UTZ, Rainforest Alliance, and 4C certified.
