Here at Minas Espresso, we take pride in ensuring our entire process is done sustainably while maintaining the utmost quality—from the start of our coffee’s journey on a farm in Brazil, to its final destination in your morning mug. From growing to harvesting to processing, our farmers are personally involved every step until the beans are shipped to the United States. This personal attention to detail, which includes individually sorting every bean to remove any unripe or damaged fruit, is what makes Minas Espresso a specialty coffee producer and sets us apart from large coffee producers. Our dedication to sustainable agriculture on our farms is another key differentiator. So, when you’re enjoying your next cup of Minas Espresso, you’ll know you’re drinking quality coffee that was grown with you and the planet in mind every step of the way.

Practicing Sustainable Agriculture


Sustainable agriculture is essential in order to not compromise the environment and the species of flora and fauna that rely on the environment to survive. At Minas Espresso, we take an array of precautions to ensure our farming practices are sustainable, so the ecosystems remain healthy and balanced for generations to come.

On our farm we maintain natural areas of land to promote biodiversity and give native plant, animal, and insect species a place to live and thrive. Natural water sources are preserved in these areas to provide animals a clean water source. Foraging areas encourage the respectful coexistence of native wildlife surrounding our crops. Preserving natural areas on our farm also includes protecting the natural habitats of bees and other pollinators.

Coffee trees are self-pollinating, but bees increase each tree’s potential yield, making it even more essential to preserve the natural habitat of the pollinators. We recently received our Bee Friendly Farm certification from the Pollinator Partnership, which is a non-profit organization that works with farmers to protect and promote sustainable agriculture and the health of our pollinators. To learn more about our Bee Friendly Farm certification, how our farming practices are protecting the pollinators, and what you can do to help the bees, check out our previous blog post.

Another key focus of Minas Espresso’s sustainable agricultural practices is conserving water and minimizing air, water, and climate pollution. This is accomplished in part through applying Integrated Pest Management practices by reducing or completely eliminating the use of harmful chemicals. We also work to ensure the continued sustainability of our land. Rotating our crops helps maintain healthy soil and embrace diversity. Planting cover crops manages soil erosion, fertility, and quality. Our farmers always plant and harvest our crops by hand, instead of by machine. This helps to minimize air pollution caused by machine exhaust, possible soil erosion and compaction, and the need for a constant source of energy and fuel.

The Process
Our sustainable process is overseen throughout every step by Minas Espresso’s farmers and employees, to guarantee quality and freshness.

Planting and Growing

The process begins on our farm in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Seeds are hand-planted in small pots in our nursery where they grow for six months. The small coffee trees are then hand planted by our farmers into rows in the mountainous landscape. It takes three to five years for the trees to reach maturity and begin growing white coffee flowers. The white flowers turn into green coffee cherries which then turn into red coffee cherries when ripe.

Harvesting and Processing

When the cherries are red, ripe, and ready for harvest, they are handpicked by our farmers and transferred to tarps on the dirt for processing. Here they are dried in the sun while being constantly moved around to prevent the cherries from molding or going bad. After they have dried for three weeks, the cherries are transferred to the Mill House where the husks are removed and are then inspected and sorted. Beans with any defects, such as being unripe or damaged by insects, are discarded. This process of sorting and inspecting is what makes Minas Espresso a specialty coffee producer. The good-quality beans are then put into canvas bags to be exported in shipping containers out of a port in Santos, Brazil.

Importing and Roasting

The beans' voyage from Santos, Brazil to New York takes between 16 to 20 days. The container is then shipped via train from New York to St. Louis. From there, it is loaded onto a truck to be delivered to our warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois. Each shipment includes around 300, 100-pound canvas bags. Upon reaching our warehouse, each bag is unloaded by hand – usually by our Operations Director, Bruno.
We then begin the process of roasting the green beans into batches of coffee. It takes each batch around 10 to 15 minutes to be roasted and yields around 20 pounds of coffee. Roasting coffee is a very intricate process. As the green beans are loaded into the top, the machine is heated to 400 degrees. The beans are then rotated until they reach 380 degrees and crack open. After roasting, the beans spill out of the drum to be rotated and dried in the roasting machine. Once cool, the beans are put into Minas Espresso’s airtight bags. These bags allow no light to infiltrate and contain a gas valve to maintain freshness and quality. Our coffee beans are now bagged and ready to be shipped across the country to businesses and consumers.

Shop Minas Espresso
If you’re looking for sustainably grown, specialty coffee with enhanced natural flavors, Minas Espresso is just for you! We offer light, medium, and dark roast coffees with a variety of different flavor notes and aromas. Our specialty roasts come whole, ground, or in k-cups – allowing you can prepare your coffee in whatever way is convenient for you. Give Minas Espresso a try!