Coffee Beans used in Nesso coffee supplied By North Star Leeds

Brazil Montanari

As the largest producer of coffee in the world, Brazil is famed for quantity over quality and has huge influence over the global value of all coffee on the commercial market. If Brazil exceeds expected production levels, the coffee market can bottom out with the fear of supply exceeding demand, causing unsustainable prices for producers on the other side of the world. With such a focus on volume, it can be difficult to find a partner driven to process specialty grade beans. However, Marcelo Montanari has proven that you can produce volume whilst still being highly dedicated to quality, sustainability, and innovation in coffee production. Working on a sizeable estate, Marcelo actively encourages biodiversity, ensures worker well-being, and upholds eco-friendly farming practices. We have been working with Marcelo since 2014, his approach seamlessly integrates with our own and his coffee is a permanent feature on our offer list.

The story as per North Star coffee Roasters 

A year ago we said "…goodbye's don't necessarily have to last forever!" And we meant it! After only a year in absence we are absolutely delighted to welcome back one of Marcelo Montanari's pulped naturals to our offer list!With Brazil having such a huge influence over the global value of all coffee on the commercial market, it can be difficult to find a producing partner whose focus is on bettering the industry and the quality they produce rather than prioritising large volumes that are funnelled into the c-market. So, it was refreshing when we first met Marcelo Montanari back in 2014. An innovative, fourth generation coffee farmer who is passionate about the environment and the challenges faced through climate change and therefore committed to championing a specialty approach for all three coffee farms his family owns in Minas Gerais.From the start of our relationship, Marcelo and his family have shown a clear desire to promote biodiversity, to work proactively towards a better situation for their labour force, to maintain and improve the ecosystem on the land on which they farm and invest time and effort into producing stand out specialty grade coffees. A family of coffee professionals that not only align with the principles we hold dear but are also dedicated to producing coffees of excellent cup profile.We had the pleasure of visiting Marcelo back in 2018 and were blown away by the high level of experimentation in varietals that takes place on his estate. His meticulous approach to collaboration and openness in the sharing of his findings, not only improves his farms but coffee farming and agronomy in general within the microclimates of Minas Gerais. A selfless quality that is key for the coffee industry in the longer term as the need to look towards varieties better suited to rising temperatures and disease resistant qualities increases.Marcelo's innovation and experimentation knows no bounds. He leaves no stone unturned, meticulously studying every aspect of his farms and the processes he employs. Even his coffee trees are angled in such a way that maximises their exposure to sunlight! In addition, every varietal planted is there for a reason, ensuring that constant ripening and harvesting occurs year-round, allowing him to maximise yield and prevent bottle necks in processing that can take place on a coffee farm. On top of this, Marcelo champions both quality focused, modern farming practices and mechanisation for picking which allows for consistent supply and efficient production. The farm is also carbon neutral, through carbon insetting, which is the process of offsetting its emissions on-site. An achievement reached through a combination of solar panels, using parchment to fire the dryers and going above the legal requirement of leaving 20% of land as wild 'reserve'.We are super proud to offer this crowd pleaser of a classic Brazilian coffee which represents all that is truly great about this mammoth producer where innovation and a drive to improve quality and environmental impact is met with the ability to action change.