Ji-Paraná – Rondônia’s Amazonian Robusta coffee growers are working to securely tie their product to sustainability. The product is being exhibited in the Rondônia Rural Show Internacional that started Monday (22). Caferon (Coffee Farmers from the Forests of Rondônia) represents 10,4000 Amazon Robusta coffee growers and took nine brands of the specialty roasted beans. The Forests of Rondônia Region for Amazon Robusta Coffee was recognized as the first Geographic Indication for a Denomination of Origin certificate of sustainable Coffea canephora in the world in June 2021, and they include 15 municipalities in the Brazilian Northern state. The certification adds value to specialty coffees from the region.
According to Juan Travain, chairman of Caferon, the terroir has three pillars: the Amazonian biome, a humidity of 70-77%, and an average temperature of 27°C, which makes the plant vegetate longer. Travain told ANBA the biological part is very important to give the quality of the coffee. “We have a very strong biotic richness. This is a new product, the result of the crossing of Conilon Capixaba and Pure Robusta varietals.”
Caferon has held events to raise awareness of the farmers on the good sustainability practices since the denomination of origin was obtained two years ago. Travain said the association includes women and Indigenous people that grow coffee and value diversity.
“To obtain the Denomination of Origin certificate, the farm must have a sustainability certificate, which requires good socioenvironmental practices. For the product to be seen as a specialty coffee, it must have more than 80 points and comply with environmental requirements. Up to 79 points, the region’s coffee is dubbed gourmet, for a having a higher quality,” he said.
The specialty roasted Amazon Robusta coffee bean brands present in the Rondônia Rural Show 2023 are Hel Café, Café da Luz, Café Don Bento, Café Aruá, Café Lagoa da Mata, Café Canindé, AF Café, Fabian Cafés, and Alfa Café. Hel Café, from Novo Horizonte do Oeste, won first place in 2021’s Rondônia Coffee Quality and Sustainability Competition (Concafé). Cacoal’s Café da Luz came second in the Canephora category of Minas Gerais’s Coffee Week in 2022.
The state of Rondônia has exported raw beans to South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Russia, China, Australia. According to Caferon’s chairman, green coffee has been shipped to Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates. Roasted coffee is sold only in the domestic market. According to him, 72% of production will go to the soluble coffee industry.
The stand of Caferon in Rondônia Rural Show 2023 is located in the pavilion of the Secretariat for Economic Development (SEDEC) and is holding tastings of the Amazon Robusta throughout the day. The multisectoral show runs until Saturday (27).
The journalist traveled at the invitation of Rondônia’s Secretariat for Economic Development (SEDEC).
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
