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Last year, Brazil's coffee crop declined by almost a quarter due to drought. The knock-on effect was a global reduction in the supply of coffee beans and a consequent doubling of wholesale prices. Large coffee producers are increasingly turning to technology in order to successfully grow and process the best possible crop, both in terms of volume and quality.
It is estimated that one billion people consume coffee every day. However, many people do not realize that what they drink is made from Brazilian raw materials.
"Brazilian beans are popular and known for their density and sweetness," says Cristiano Borges, director of the country's largest coffee producer, Ipanema Coffees. - That's why our coffee is used as the base for many coffee blends around the world.
Brazil is by far the world's largest producer of coffee beans. It accounts for more than a third of the world's supply. According to 2020 figures, the percentage is 37 percent. Second place goes to Vietnam, with a 17 percent share.
About 70 percent of Brazil's coffee plants are high-value Arabica varieties. The remaining 30 percent is Robusta, used mainly for instant coffee production.
The problem for Brazil and the global coffee supply is that the country's annual crop was reduced by nearly a quarter last year due to drought in its main growing region, concentrated in the southeastern states of Minas Gerais, São Paulo and Parana.
The knock-on effect has been an overall reduction in the supply of coffee beans and a subsequent doubling of wholesale prices.
To try to mitigate any future production cuts, Brazil's major coffee producers are increasingly turning to technologies that will help them successfully grow and process the best possible crop, both in terms of volume and quality.
One such company, Okuyama, says it invests at least 10 percent of its sales in technology. It is based in Minas Gerais and owns 11 km2 of coffee plantations.
Brazil, growing coffee beans
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Its employees use Cropwise Protector, an application developed by the Swiss-Chinese agrotechnical company Syngenta. The tool connects to soil sensors and satellite images, generating a visual analysis of the farm or plantation on a tablet or laptop computer. They can then quickly apply measures such as drip irrigation or pest control to a specific area in need, rather than an entire field or farm.
The idea behind the targeted approach is that it is faster and more environmentally friendly.
"Every year a new problem arises, and these technologies help us overcome the barriers," says Bruno Hiroichi, head of Okuyama's coffee bean business. - We have also invested in drying technology to control the temperature according to the type of bean.
After harvesting, Okuyama dries a portion of the beans in drum stoves to prevent them from spoiling during storage before roasting. It is very important to choose the right temperature and timing to avoid wasting both the beans and the energy used to power the heaters.
According to Borges, Ipanema Coffees, whose plantations cover about 43 square kilometers in three locations in Minas Gerais, has made important technological advances in recent years.
"We have invested heavily in semi-automated irrigation, where the system measures water scarcity and weather conditions, giving us recommendations for each zone," says Borges.
He adds that the investment helps reduce the impact on climate change: "We have climate problems such as droughts and rising global temperatures. The irrigation system has helped us increase our productivity... and for us it has become climate insurance."
Ipanema also uses the Cropwise Protector tool and all its tractors are equipped with yield trackers.
This helps us track agricultural pests using just a tablet," explains agribusiness coordinator Gustavo Michalski. - In this way, we can manage the problem and make more decisive and sustainable decisions by monitoring indicators that pinpoint the location and intensity of a given problem.
After harvesting, Ipanema has been using automatic sorting machines for several years that select only the ripe, yellow and red coffee beans.
We adjust the machine by programming the colors we want", explains industrial director Rodrigo Ferreira. - When the beans are placed on the conveyor belt, the wrong color is removed by a jet of compressed air.
Flora Viana, global marketing manager for digital agriculture at Syngenta, says that Brazilian coffee producers "can no longer increase their productivity by simply buying more land".
"We are reaching the limit of available space," he adds. - Instead, manufacturers must optimize their production process.
However, Borges adds that technology depends on the presence of trained personnel: "There is no point in using great tools if we don't have a motivated and trained team for it.
He adds that Ipanema has 800 employees, who are often sent to university training.
But not all Brazilian manufacturers are as proactive in adopting technology. Smaller companies, which produce 66% of the country's crops, are still lagging behind.
But the introduction of 5G networks is expected to improve internet connectivity in rural areas, making technologies like Cropwise Protector more widespread.
