Coffee is closely tied to the history and development of Brazil. Prior to 1990, the coffee sector was highly regulated by the government. In the early 1990's, the economy was re-structured on free market principles. The Brazilian Coffee Institute (IBC) was abolished and replaced by a Coffee Policy Council. This Council has a high level participation of growers, domestic industrial coffee users, exporters and key government agencies.

Over the years, Brazilian coffee growers have shifted large shares of production out of frost to non-frost cultivation grounds. For example, the expansion of production into the states of Espirito Santo and Bahia greatly reduced the frost risk.

In general, Brazil's weather can be described as excellent year-round. This is a great benefit for Brazilian coffee growers. Because of their country's weather, Brazilian specialty coffee growers can choose the processing method most suitable for the desired coffee quality.

• What this means is that coffee farmers can decide, based on actual market demand, what percentage of harvested cherries to process through natural or pulped natural or washed coffee processing.
• Coffee farmers can also select the processing option that brings the most quality out of the cherries for each specific lot of coffee.
• As a result, during the driest months of the year, Brazilian specialty coffee farmers use careful hand coffee picking and minimize mechanical picking.
• They can also control sun drying in thin layers.
• As applicable, they have the luxury of completing the drying process in modern coffee driers using slow drying and precise temperature controls that ensure consistent quality through the season.
• In short, quality starts with variety and site selection. The same quality continues with cultivation practices and post-harvesting techniques.
• The result is maximum volume of ripe cherries which is the raw material needed to produce specialty coffees.

For Brazilians, coffee is a national beverage . However, coffee consumption at a national level has gone up and down over the years.

• The collaboration of government and private industry in marketing programs has helped increase per capita coffee consumption among Brazilians.
• The programs assure consumers about Brazilian coffee's quality in cultivating, processing, and roasting techniques.
• Results of collaboration are a good sign for further coffee sales growth in the future.
• In particular, increased coffee consumption among the youngger generation in Brazil is very encouraging for the long term.
• To ensure greater adoption of coffee as the abundance of choice among its population, Brazil's coffee growers continue to develop successful specialty coffees. They also continue to increase the availability of coffees with certification of origin.

The future looks bright for Brazil as a leader in coffee production.

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