How much coffee does the south of Minas Gerais grow?

A lot. Conab estimates 15.9 million 60 kg bags in 2026 from 555,472 hectares in production in the south and centre-west of Minas Gerais, the biggest of its four zones in the state and close to the 16.5 million of the whole of Espírito Santo.

What is Mantiqueira de Minas coffee?

Coffee from 25 municipalities on the Minas Gerais side of the Serra da Mantiqueira, including Carmo de Minas and Cristina. It was registered as an indication of source in 2011 and became a denomination of origin in 2020. INPI's sheet credits the mountains, cloud and cold with coffees of pronounced sweetness, acidity and body.

Is there a Sul de Minas protected origin?

Not for coffee. INPI's "Sul de Minas" registration, from 2025, is for winter wines. The region's coffee is protected under smaller names: Mantiqueira de Minas, Sudoeste de Minas, Campo das Vertentes and Canastra.

How high is Mantiqueira de Minas coffee grown?

The sources differ. The denomination's specification describes an area running from 812 metres, at Santa Rita do Sapucaí, to 2,252 metres, at Baependi; INPI's summary sheet says production must be above 1,400 metres.

What makes Canastra coffee different?

Its rules. Only naturals scoring at least 84 points can use the Canastra denomination, and irrigated farms are not allowed, according to INPI's sheet.

Sul de Minas Coffee, Brazil: Mantiqueira and More

The south of Minas Gerais is the heart of Brazilian coffee. Conab’s figures for the south and centre-west of the state show 15.9 million bags in 2026, the biggest of the four zones Conab counts in Minas Gerais and almost as much as the whole of Espírito Santo. It isn’t one protected origin but several: the mountain coffees of Mantiqueira de Minas, the Sudoeste de Minas around Guaxupé, the Campo das Vertentes and the Canastra. Here’s how they differ.

The short version

Minas Gerais’s biggest coffee zone: 15.9 million bags in 2026.
Four protected origins, each with its own rules.
Mantiqueira de Minas: mountain coffee, sweet, bright and full-bodied, with a famous Cup of Excellence record.
Canastra: naturals only, never irrigated, at 84 points or more.
One winter harvest, peaking June to August.

Which protected origins are in the south of Minas Gerais?

There is no “Sul de Minas” coffee origin: INPI’s registration under that name, from 2025, is for winter wines. The coffee names are smaller:

Origin	Type	Registered	Area	INPI’s cup description
Mantiqueira de Minas	Denomination of origin	31 May 2011; changed to a denomination of origin 9 June 2020	25 municipalities on the Minas side of the Serra da Mantiqueira	Pronounced sweetness, acidity and body
Campo das Vertentes	Indication of source	24 November 2020	17 municipalities around Santo Antônio do Amparo	Very sweet, balanced body, chocolate and nuts
Sudoeste de Minas	Indication of source	25 July 2023	21 municipalities, including Guaxupé and Muzambinho	Caramel, chocolate and nuts; citric acidity; dense body; long finish
Canastra	Denomination of origin	19 September 2023	10 municipalities in the Canastra	Honey, yellow and tropical fruit, milk chocolate, citrus; high sweetness; high citric acidity; dense, creamy body

Source: INPI technical sheets.

Mantiqueira de Minas

The best known. INPI’s sheet describes the Minas Gerais face of the Serra da Mantiqueira as mountainous, with richer soil, more cloud and a cold climate, wetter in summer and cold and dry through ripening and harvest. Growers use Bourbon, Acaiá, Catuaí, Icatu, Mundo Novo and Catucaí, and pick ripe cherries for coffees of pronounced sweetness, acidity and body. To use the name, coffee must score at least 83 points on the Specialty Coffee Association scale, with no more than 26 defects.

The sheet also cites its reputation: a coffee from Carmo de Minas won the 2005 Cup of Excellence with 95.85 points and sold at auction for US$6,580.81 a bag, an exceptional price the sheet says does not reflect the regional market.

The sources disagree on altitude:

Altitude	Source
The area runs from 812 m (Santa Rita do Sapucaí) to 2,252 m (Baependi)	The denomination’s specification (APROCAM), filed with INPI
Production must be above 1,400 m	INPI’s technical sheet

The specification adds an average temperature of 17.9 °C and about 1,665 mm of rain a year.

Canastra, Sudoeste and Campo das Vertentes

Canastra has the strictest rules of the four. Its coffee grows at 602 to 1,052 metres on mostly gentle slopes that allow machines, with no irrigation allowed and only natural coffees scoring 84 points or more eligible, INPI’s sheet says. The harvest runs from May to September, depending on ripeness.

Sudoeste de Minas has grown coffee since at least 1874, its sheet says, and by 1920 held 10.35% of the coffee area of Minas Gerais. Its coffee must score 80 points, and blends and non-arabica coffees can’t use the name.

Campo das Vertentes sits on rolling plateaus at 500 to 1,000 metres, rising above 1,500 metres where the Mantiqueira cuts across its east. Coffee was planted there from the 1860s, but only became important in the second half of the 20th century.

When is it harvested?

In the dry winter. Conab’s 2026 calendar for Minas Gerais shows the harvest peaking in June (29%), July (35%) and August (21%).

How much coffee does it grow?

Figure	Value	Source
Area in production, 2026	555,472 ha	Conab (south and centre-west of Minas Gerais)
Crop, 2026	15.9 million bags, up 32.1%	Conab
Yield, 2026	28.7 bags a hectare	Conab

Sul de Minas and other Brazilian origins

Coffee in Brazil: the whole country, its harvest and its figures.
Cerrado Mineiro: Brazil’s first protected coffee origin.
São Paulo: Alta Mogiana and the Circuito das Águas, over the state line.

Sul de Minas

What is Sul de Minas coffee like?

At a glance