Coffee Clusters in Brazil

Abstract

What is organic coffee? Basically, organic coffee is a coffee produced without using highly soluble chemical and either of fungicides, herbicides, insecticides or other chemicals. A specialty coffee is characterized by being differentiated quality, which involves from the process of production to consumption itself. There is no precise definition of the product and to establish a more approximate characterization should consider intrinsic parameters of the quality of the drink (variety, origin, and post-harvest cultural), as well as the condition of grain production. In Brazil, the entity responsible for evaluation, qualification, certification and promotion of coffee is the ABIC. When it comes to specifically special coffee, BSCA (Brazil Specialty Coffee Association) or Brazil Specialty Coffee Association) undertakes to assess and qualify products as rigid standard of evaluation. The coffee industry is represented by 300 thousand properties of various sizes (23 are small businesses). The sector employs 8.4 million workers directly and indirectly, that add a gross value of production of R$ 5 billion to the national economy. An important entry barrier lies in product differentiation via production process, with emphasis on the adoption of organic products and practices to better qualify the resulting coffee. There are several cases of producers who converted their crops to produce higher-quality coffees. At this point, the investment in training and in techniques and equipment is fundamental to obtaintion of a product "special".