THE VARIETY

CATUAI
Catuai coffee is an Arabica coffee variety developed by crossing the Mundo Novo and Caturra varieties. This plant is known for its adaptability to various climatic and altitude conditions, making it a popular choice among coffee growers in many regions of the world. Originally developed in Brazil in the '50s and '60s, Catuai is now cultivated in various parts of the Americas. Catuai coffee plants are relatively small in size, making them easy to harvest and manage in cultivated fields. The Catuai fruits are generally round in shape, with a smaller size compared to other coffee varieties. The beverage obtained from Catuai beans encompasses a range of aromas and flavours, often characterized by fruity and floral notes.

The variety is also appreciated for its bright acidity and balanced body. The plant is highly productive compared to Bourbon, in part because of its small size, which allows plants to be closely spaced - it can be planted at nearly double the density. Because of this characteristic, the introduction of Catuai partly led to the intensification of full-sun coffee cultivation in Central America in the 1970s and 1980s. The plant’s shape also makes it relatively easy to apply pest and disease treatments. It is characterised by great vigour and low height, while it is less compact than Caturra.

Nowadays, there are yellow-fruited and red-fruited types, with numerous variation. Catuai's downside is that it is highly susceptible to coffee leaf rust. As Catuai has spread to many coffee-growing regions worldwide, taste profiles can vary based on the specific growing conditions of each location. In general, however, Catuai is a versatile variety that can produce high-quality coffee, making it an intriguing choice for growers and coffee enthusiasts seeking a rich and satisfying brew.

CATURRA
Caturra is a natural mutation of the Bourbon variety, discovered on a plantation in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil, sometime between 1915 and 1918. This mutation, characterized by a single-gene causing dwarfism or compact growth, earned the variety its name, derived from the Guarani word meaning "small," also known as "Nanico."

Following the discovery of Caturra, selections were conducted by the Instituto Agronomico (IAC) of Sao Paulo State in Campinas, Brazil, starting in 1937. Breeders were particularly intrigued by Caturra's reduced size, allowing for closer plant placement, and its closely spaced secondary branches, facilitating increased fruit production within the same space. The selection process for Caturra, termed mass selection, involved choosing individuals based on superior performance, combining seeds from these plants to form a new generation, and repeating the process.

Although never officially released in Brazil, Caturra became prevalent in Central America. Introduced in Guatemala in the 1940s, widespread commercial adoption took another three decades. From Guatemala, it spread to Costa Rica, Honduras, and Panama. For many years, Caturra held significant economic importance in Central America, often serving as a benchmark against which new cultivars were tested. In Colombia, Caturra accounted for nearly half of the country's production until a government-sponsored program, starting in 2008, promoted the renovation of over three billion coffee trees with the leaf-rust-resistant Castillo variety, which has Caturra parentage.

Caturra played a role in the intensification of coffee cultivation in the region during the second half of the 20th century, marked by higher-density planting, often in full sun. Additionally, Caturra is recognized as one of the parent varieties in the so-called "Catimor" family of cultivars. Various lines of the coffee-leaf-rust-resistant Timor Hybrid were crossed with Caturra to produce a dwarf/compact plant with rust resistance.

COLOMBIA
Using Catimor’s HdT x Caturra recipe as a blueprint, Cenicafé first created the Colombia variety as an F5 composite, and released it in 1982.