Rondônia

Rondônia, in Brazil’s Amazon, is robusta country with a twist. Its growers spent years selecting their own hybrid clones of the Conilon and Robusta varieties, and the result is a coffee sold as Amazonian Robustas (Robustas Amazônicos). In 2021 the Matas de Rondônia became a denomination of origin for robusta, and in 2026 the state is picking about 2.9 million bags, with the highest yields of any Brazilian state.

The short version

• Robusta only, from grower-selected hybrid clones.
• Amazonian Robustas: sweet, chocolatey, woody and fruity.
• 2.9 million bags in 2026, up 24%.
• 66.7 bags a hectare, the highest yield in Conab’s survey.
• Picked early, April to June, and only in the dry season.

What are Amazonian Robustas?

They are Rondônia’s own plants. INPI’s technical sheet explains that the region’s coffee comes from hybrid clones of Conilon and Robusta, selected empirically by local growers over many years. That cross produced a distinct coffee, which came to be called Robustas Amazônicos. The sheet treats the plants’ genetics as the most important factor that sets the region apart.

What does it taste like?

INPI’s sheet lists these descriptors:

• sweet, chocolate, woody, fruity, spice, root and herbal.

It calls this “a new sensory outlook”, a palette specific to canephora coffee. To carry the Matas de Rondônia name, coffee must score at least 80 points on the Specialty Coffee Association scale.

Where is it grown?

In 15 municipalities of Rondônia, between 10° and 14° south and 60° and 64° west, including Cacoal, Rolim de Moura and Alta Floresta D’Oeste. INPI places the region in the transition between the Amazon and the Cerrado: hot and even through the year, with a rainy season from October to April and a dry season from June to August. The coffee grows on deep, well-drained soils on gentle slopes, which allow machines.

The growers are mixed, the sheet says: indigenous, family, organic and commercial farms, with a focus on sustainable production. Wikipedia notes that Rondônia only entered the market recently, as a major robusta producer.

When is it harvested?

Early, and only when it’s dry. The denomination’s rules allow picking only in the dry season, when no more than 15% of the cherries on the plant are green, and coffee mustn’t sit in sacks or piles in the field for more than six hours, to avoid unwanted fermentation. Conab’s 2026 calendar:

Month	Share of Rondônia’s crop
March	4%
April	24%
May	45%
June	17%
July	5%
August	5%

Source: Conab. Clonal plants ripen early, Conab says, which brings the harvest forward.

How much coffee does Rondônia grow?

Figure	2026	Source
Area in production	43,155 ha	Conab
Crop	2.9 million bags, up 24%	Conab
Yield	66.7 bags a hectare	Conab

Conab and USDA both credit the rise to favourable weather and the renewal of farms with higher-yielding clonal plants. USDA notes that Bahia has now overtaken Rondônia as Brazil’s second robusta state.

Rondônia and other Brazilian origins

• Coffee in Brazil: the whole country, its harvest and its figures.
• Espírito Santo: Brazil’s conilon heartland.
• Bahia: irrigated conilon and highland arabica.