Rio Brilhante from the brazil "champagne " region , CERRADO
Inacio originally named his farm Rio Brilhante,translating in English as ‘bright river’, to honour the clear crystal water that provides life to his farm. This lifeblood that Urban notes to be so important to Rio Brilhante success originates from ‘Guarani Aquifer’, the second largest underwater reservoir on the planet, partly located underneath the Cerrado region, but also stretching as far as Paraguay and Uruguay. As well as the colossal 1600+ hectares dedicated to coffee, Urban also has a further 700+ hectares.
The region of Cerrado Mineiro can be found to the east of Minas Gerais, one of the primary coffee-growing regions of Brazil. Famed for its quality coffee production, the region ranges from 1,000 to 1,250 metres above sea level, providing ideal conditions for coffee production due to the perfect balance of wet and dry seasons. Cerrado alone is estimated to produce as much as 12.5% of Brazil’s total coffee output and has now received ‘Origin status’, meaning
only coffee from ‘Cerrado’ can be called ‘Cerrado’.
Rio Brilhante takes part in a number of social projects as well , their main being ‘Seeds of Change’. ‘Seeds of Change’ is a program focused on helping Rio Brilhante staff to learn skills such as reading, writing and calculating in everyday life. The driving force behind this scheme is that staff are constantly being faced with new challenges, both at work and home, in our modern world. ‘Seeds of Change’ helps to give staff the tools they need, to be able to thrive under such circumstances. Members of staff who take part receive a professional qualification, to help further their career. Rio Brilhante also offers this project to staff member’s relatives, highlighting the importance of the family as one of their core values. As well as Seeds of Change, other education initiatives such as ‘Escolinha Tia Edna’, a disability school for 85 pupils aged 2-6, and ‘Ponto do Livro’, a project aimed at opening local open-air libraries, are also funded by Rio Brilhante.
The region of Cerrado Mineiro can be found to the east of Minas Gerais, one of the primary coffee-growing regions of Brazil. Famed for its quality coffee production, the region ranges from 1,000 to 1,250 metres above sea level, providing ideal conditions for coffee production due to the perfect balance of wet and dry seasons. Cerrado alone is estimated to produce as much as 12.5% of Brazil’s total coffee output and has now received ‘Origin status’, meaning
only coffee from ‘Cerrado’ can be called ‘Cerrado’.
Rio Brilhante takes part in a number of social projects as well , their main being ‘Seeds of Change’. ‘Seeds of Change’ is a program focused on helping Rio Brilhante staff to learn skills such as reading, writing and calculating in everyday life. The driving force behind this scheme is that staff are constantly being faced with new challenges, both at work and home, in our modern world. ‘Seeds of Change’ helps to give staff the tools they need, to be able to thrive under such circumstances. Members of staff who take part receive a professional qualification, to help further their career. Rio Brilhante also offers this project to staff member’s relatives, highlighting the importance of the family as one of their core values. As well as Seeds of Change, other education initiatives such as ‘Escolinha Tia Edna’, a disability school for 85 pupils aged 2-6, and ‘Ponto do Livro’, a project aimed at opening local open-air libraries, are also funded by Rio Brilhante.