Matas de Minas
Coffee from the Matas de Minas, Brazil: hand-picked mountain arabica from 36,000 mostly small family farms in eastern Minas Gerais.
What is Matas de Minas coffee like?
The Matas de Minas, in the mountains of eastern Minas Gerais, grows arabica above 600 metres, mostly hand-picked because the slopes are too steep for machines. About 36,000 growers, 80% of them small family farms, produce roughly a quarter of the state's coffee. INPI describes a sweet cup with citrus, caramel and chocolate, floral aromas and a full body.
At a glance
2026- Species
- Arabica only
- Altitude
- Above 600 m
- Harvest
- Mainly June–August; mostly by hand
- Production
- 9.7m bags in 2026 (Conab, wider zone)
- Area under coffee
- 341,403 ha in production in the Zona da Mata, Rio Doce and centre (2026)
- Growers
- About 36,000 growers, 80% small family farms
- Share of national crop
- About 24% of Minas Gerais's coffee
- Processing
- Natural, Pulped natural (cereja descascado), Demucilaged, Washed (despolpado)
- Typical cup
- Sweet, with citrus, caramel and chocolate; intense floral and citrus aroma; full to very full body; delicate, balanced acidity; long finish (INPI).
- Protected name
- Indication of source, INPI BR402018000002-7, 15 December 2020
Other figures describe 2026 and come from the sources at the end of this page. Updated once a year.
The Matas de Minas is mountain coffee country in eastern Minas Gerais, around towns such as Manhuaçu, Caratinga and Viçosa. Its slopes are too steep for machines, so the coffee is mostly picked by hand, by some 36,000 growers, most of them small family farmers. It covers just 3% of the state but grows about a quarter of its coffee, and since 2020 it has been a protected origin.
The short version
- Mountain arabica above 600 metres.
- Mostly hand-picked, because of the slopes.
- 36,000 growers, 80% of them small family farms.
- Sweet, with citrus, caramel and chocolate, and a full body.
- A protected origin since 15 December 2020.
What does Matas de Minas coffee taste like?
INPI’s technical sheet sets out the region’s profile:
| Attribute | Description |
|---|---|
| Flavour | Sweet, with a range of citrus, caramel and chocolate |
| Aroma | Intense, with floral and citrus notes |
| Body | Full to very full |
| Acidity | Delicate and balanced |
| Finish | Pleasant and long |
Source: INPI, Matas de Minas technical sheet.
To use the name, coffee must be arabica grown above 600 metres, score at least 80 points on the Specialty Coffee Association scale, and be grown, processed and stored inside the area. It can be natural, pulped (cereja descascado), demucilaged or washed (despolpado).
Why the mountains matter
INPI’s sheet says the planted areas are basically mountains. The broken relief creates special microclimates, and it keeps the harvest mainly manual, a tradition the sheet links to the region’s identity. Coffee arrived in the 19th century, spreading from the Paraíba do Sul valley, and by about 1970 it had become the most important crop in the region.
Its reputation for quality is newer. In 1995 a Matas de Minas grower reached the final of the Ernesto Illy coffee quality prize for the first time, and from 2000 the region began winning prizes, including first place in a Brazil Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA) competition, the sheet says. Wikipedia notes that in the 1880s the wider Zona da Mata grew 90% of the coffee in Minas Gerais.
Who grows it?
Small farmers. INPI counts about 36,000 producers, 80% of them small family farms or the rural middle class, across 64 municipalities. Together they grow about 24% of the coffee of Minas Gerais.
When is it harvested?
In the dry winter, mostly by hand. For Minas Gerais as a whole, Conab’s 2026 harvest peaked in June (29%), July (35%) and August (21%).
How much coffee does it grow?
| Figure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Area in production, 2026 | 341,403 ha | Conab (Zona da Mata, Rio Doce and centre of Minas Gerais) |
| Crop, 2026 | 9.7 million bags, up 20.3% | Conab (same zone) |
| Share of Minas Gerais’s coffee | About 24% | INPI |
| Growers | About 36,000 | INPI |
Conab’s zone is wider than the 64 municipalities of the protected origin.
Matas de Minas and other Brazilian origins
- Coffee in Brazil: the whole country, its harvest and its figures.
- Caparaó: the cold mountains shared with Espírito Santo; several towns belong to both origins.
- Sul de Minas: Minas Gerais’s biggest coffee zone.
Questions & answers
What does Matas de Minas coffee taste like?
INPI's sheet describes a sweet coffee with a range of citrus, caramel and chocolate flavours, an intense aroma with floral and citrus notes, a full to very full body, delicate and balanced acidity and a pleasant, long finish.
Why is Matas de Minas coffee picked by hand?
Because of the mountains. INPI says the harvest is mainly manual because of the region's mountainous relief, which also creates special microclimates.
Who grows Matas de Minas coffee?
About 36,000 growers, 80% of them small family farmers or the rural middle class, according to INPI's sheet. The region covers 3% of Minas Gerais but grows about 24% of its coffee.
When did Matas de Minas become a protected origin?
On 15 December 2020, when INPI registered it as an indication of source covering 64 municipalities in the east of Minas Gerais.
Sources
- Ficha técnica: Matas de Minas. Instituto Nacional da Propriedade Industrial (INPI)
- Acompanhamento da safra brasileira de café, safra 2026, 3º levantamento (September 2026). Companhia Nacional de Abastecimento (Conab)
- Coffee production in Brazil. Wikipedia