Veloso Colecta is among the most highly regarded coffee producers in Brazil. Based in Cerrado Mineiro, they have around 2480 hectares of land and produce 95,000 bags of coffee every year. They were founded in 1971 and remain a family run business focused on quality coffee to this day. They grow primarily the catuai variety, at an altitude of 1,000-1,300 meters above sea level, with several other varieties grown at any of their six farms in the region including bourbon, acaia, mondo novo, and others.
The Cerrado Mineiro region is the first “Designation of Origin” in Brazil, located in the northwest of the Minas Gerais state in central part of the country. The coffees under this Designation of Origin are “Origin and Quality Guaranteed” by the Cerrado Minerio Region – D.O. Regulatory Board, and each bag carries a QR code connecting it to the specific farm and farmer who produced the coffee. This adds an additional layer of traceability which is often difficult in the massive coffee growing regions of Brazil.
Brazil is the largest coffee producer in the world, and production of coffee in Brazil is unique, in that Brazilian farms tend to have flatter elevations, less shade cover, and more manicured fields. They also use mechanical harvesters and produce far more coffee per hectare than other origins. Coffee in Cerrado Mineiro grows between 800-1300 meters above sea level and has very distinct rainy and dry seasons, creating the distinctive coffee of the region.
