The days in Bucharest, Romania, are another Aequitas story of connection and contact that coffee establishes and allow us to experience.

Exploring and embarking on the unknown is always a fascinating feeling, as you do not know what lies ahead, and when the experience positively surprises you, the magic happens.

For the first time in Eastern Europe, we had no idea that Bucharest has one the largest concentration of specialty coffees shops per capita, after London and more than Berlin, and which means the crowd there likes and understands coffee.

Visiting Romania

provided, in addition to the symbolic atmosphere, the knowledge of how emerging and pulsating is the market and consumption of specialty coffee there.

We were lucky to see the coffee scene in Bucharest through the eyes of the Origo & Trofic team. Panfil, who endeavored Origo six years ago, and Lavinia, his right arm, organized the visit and allowed us to live the pinnacle of comfort and joy that is tasting good food and drinking good coffee.

Everything from the meticulous selection of ingredients to the way they are combined and presented make up the pleasure of great hospitality. It is so much love and care that such a reception brings you back and forth to those places, whether for the pleasant background music or the delicious coffee.

We were surprised since the moment we got there until we left. Amazed in the sense of surprise, the one that leads to an unexpected happiness in someone, so good to feel. Well, of course we had expectations for this visit, however it was far beyond an ordinary visit to a client. Meetings between the producer, Yuki Minami, coffee shop owners and consumers were organized and created the perfect environment to promote lots of knowledge exchange among these actors in the coffee chain.

Most of the times for producers getting to know the final consumers who are drinking their coffee and for consumers meeting a coffee producer seem something inaccessible and so distant from each other. But this distance disappeared in one simple but impactful object: postcards. Origo customers left messages to Yuki in postcards where they shared their experiences, sensations and feelings about her coffee and vice-versa.

One of them stirred his emotions, saying that the coffee from Fazenda Olhos d'Água triggered sensory memories linked to nature and the feeling of contemplation. Nothing more sacred and deep than reaching this remembrance.

This a clear indication that the North to follow is the one that unites and brings people together, coffee is sacred as well as the exchanged memories and experiences. We left Bucharest feeling so much gratitude for this delight and with our hearts full of affection.