Brazilian Coffee: Automation, AI Technology Highlight Innovative Production Systems

Brazilian coffee growing, particularly in the Cerrado Mineiro region, is known for its sustainable techniques and innovative production systems. The Cerrado Coffee Growers’ Cooperative (Expocacer) is launching an industrial production line exclusively for the classification of specialty coffee, focusing on the meticulous quality of the beans. The machinery is 100% automated, with 108 options for grain classification routes, allowing for control of KPIs and predictive maintenance using Artificial Intelligence sensors. This technology has led to a 20% reduction in maintenance costs and a 10% increase in machinery availability.

Expocacer’s warehouses are moving towards excellence in Industry 4.0, which stands for industrial automation and the integration of technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation and robotics, IoT (internet of things), and cloud computing. The aim is to promote the decentralization of human action in production processes, using automation and technology to connect the entire operation, speeding up processes and increasing productivity.

By integrating innovations into coffee production processes, coffee growers can meet consumer demands for transparency and sustainability in the supply chain. Technology can be allied to the producer and the coffee industry at different stages such as cultivation and harvest, post-harvest, monitoring, quality control, traceability, automation, and evaluating the buyer’s experience.

Coffee growers also work with these technologies on their properties, such as smart irrigation, which uses soil moisture sensors and weather stations to monitor environmental conditions and control the irrigation system precisely and efficiently. Machine learning algorithms are also applied to optimize water use, ensuring plants receive the right amount of water at the right time.

In the Cerrado Mineiro, systems are used for automatic grain selection and classification, data management, mechanized harvesting, fertigation, and precise nutrition. The cooperative aims to offer producers and consumers the best and newest production techniques, always combined with sustainability, creating a fertile ground for innovation and creativity.

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