Coffee Origin Report: Brazil

Brazil Legender: An example of innovation in coffee that hasn’t lost sight of its heritage in Machado.

“Some people see the world as it is and ask why. Others see the world as it could be and ask why not.” —George Bernard Shaw

My First Coffee Trip to Brazil

After 30 years of importing coffee, I finally made my first trip to Brazil. I am not proud to say that, but I am very pleased to share my experience visiting the Machado region and seeing the continued progress and success of the Legender program. Many members of Team RNY have made the trip to Sul de Minas and Machado, so I’d say it was about time for me to go as well!

While we have sourced coffee from Brazil since the beginning of Royal New York, it was primarily for house and espresso blends. I was excited to see firsthand how this evolving industry has shaped specialty coffee at both the farm and roaster level.

Legender Specialty Coffee

In Machado, I visited Demilson Bautista Jr., the visionary behind Legender Specialty Coffee, a program founded in 2012. His mission? To elevate Brazil’s small coffee producers by promoting single estate coffees rather than blending them into commercial lots.

We have all witnessed this evolution in other coffee-producing origins, but this practice seems relatively new in a country that is synonymous with coffee, though not necessarily specialty coffee. Previously, many of these small farms, or sitios, delivered their harvest to collectors, unaware of their coffee’s potential. Demilson, alongside his wife Luciana, set out to change that dynamic. He wanted quality coffee from individual farms to be recognized and introduced to the specialty market. The shift wasn’t easy—producers were skeptical at first. However, as they saw the higher premiums and recognition they could achieve with their own coffee, momentum started to build.

Today, through their partnership with Coopama, Legender continues to revolutionize Machado’s specialty coffee scene. Demilson has the ability to assess true “Legender quality,” meaning that a coffee has a distinctly sweet cherry, cocoa, and creamy flavor that clearly illustrates the natural process. This quality standard, along with Coopama’s production capacity, agronomic expertise, and membership reach in Machado makes for a strong collaboration that is appreciated by coffee producers and roasters alike.

Upcoming Brazil Coffee Arrivals

Demilson is constantly trying coffee from new sitios in the Machado and Poco Fundo regions. Every year, he purchases coffee directly from sitios to both promote single estate offerings and to craft Legender Especial. We’re excited to say that we have many Legender Especial offerings on the way! The Legender Especials will be available in all of our warehouses, and we look forward to you becoming part of the Legender Specialty Coffee story.

Check out our upcoming Legender Especial offerings and be on the lookout for sitio coffees that will arrive in the coming months! Reach out to your trader to secure some of the lots linked below.