Aequitas Coffee
Em busca de um Match Perfeito para o seu Café?
Em busca de um Match Perfeito para o seu Café?

Cerrado Mineiro Region

It's all about sharing magic experiences.

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AEQUITAS COFFEE CONNECTIONS

One of Aequitas' main goals is to foster connection and strengthen ties in the coffee chain, from production to the market. It is to bring those who are far away, near, and together get to know the story not only of coffees, but of those who produced it.

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For us, specialty coffee is more than just a product, it's a lifestyle that carries a story in every bean, so showing to the world “how” and “where” they are produced is a way to share the magic around this universal drink.

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To that end, we were pleased to welcome and guide the visit of ZAB CAFE a roaster from Montreal - Canada and the importer CROP TO CUP, New York - United States, represented by the dear ones: Sam, Edwin, Simon and Maya.

In addition to the experience of exchanging knowledge and flavors, they came looking for new and different coffees; different because special, new because the world of coffee is a ceaseless pursuit and improvement.

This is how together we embarked on an adventure into the Cerrado Mineiro Region. We visited farms, met producers, exchanged experiences, tasted coffee and local food, because in each corner we were greeted with a banquet and cuddle from Minas Gerais people.

Along with field visits, we promote chats between producers and the visitors in the cities of São Gotardo, Monte Carmelo and Serra do Salitre, all of them with the purpose of teaching and learning. In a relaxed atmosphere followed by a good old beer and barbecue, we all felt grateful and connected.

We also had the opportunity to meet a 91-year-old producer, Mr. Jose Marson, who still produces coffee and his own wine. We were all impressed by the liveliness, joy and peace in which he lives with his wife on the farm. Of course we tasted his wine, and I'm sure it was a very special time for them as well as it was for us.

Knowing where coffee comes from and how it is brewed arouses passion, and a new look borns into what was once just a drink, and now it is sacred. Okay, coffee connects people because there's so much love involved.

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Gratitude to this meeting and we will continue sharing and discovering worlds to cheer up the spirits and scare away sleep and monotony with coffee.

Photos by Sam, from ZAB CAFE.

An important partnership between IWCA Brasil and the Cerrado Mineiro Region

Miriam Monteiro, IWCA vice-president, explains about the IWCA Code of Conduct

Miriam Monteiro, IWCA vice-president, explains about the IWCA Code of Conduct

On May 11, the Meeting of Innovation and Technology of Cerrado Mineiro Region happened at the EPAMIG Experimental Farm in Patrocinio. In the morning period we had a field day with four different technical stations about EPAMIG genetics improvement of coffee cultivars for Cerrado, new trends of mineral nutrition for coffee, management of coffee pests and management of coffee borer beetle. During the afternoon topics like sensorial analysis of EPAMIG cultivars, sustainable family farming, experiences of women in coffee were presented in three rooms and the main room had a panel  about challenges in coffee production in a climate change environment.

The room dedicated to woman in coffee had presentations of Miriam Monteiro, coffee producer, IWCA – International Women Coffee Alliance – vice-president, representative for Campo das Vertentes subchapter who talked about her farm's production of organic and agro-ecological coffees. Her lecture called the audience's attention that were curious about how to convert from conventional to organic production, crop management, productivity and market for organics. 

Afterwards, Carmem Lúcia Chaves de Brito, also known as Ucha, coffee producer from Três Pontas and president of BSCA – Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association –, has been producing specialty coffee for ten years. She did a captivating presentation about what she does at the farm to generate clients' enchantment and the results of long-term relationships. Also she spoke about the importance of management of farm operation processes and about how she keeps a motivated and well trained team that understand its role in producing a distinct coffee.

At last, Maria Gabriela Baracat Sanchez, agronomist and coffee producer, spoke about a change in the farm's coffee production strategy. She emphasized the contribution of management tools and certifications in the farm business administration. In 2016, the farm started a new way of production aiming specialty coffees by making use of coffee quality mapping and post-harvest processing that lead the family's farm to reach the first place at the 2017's Cerrado Mineiro Coffee Awards in Naturals category. 

In all presentations we saw how the competence and strength of these women and the use of management tools impact in consistent results. It was a privilege watching their lectures.

Also we had an important accomplishment for the women of Cerrado Mineiro Region. The Cerrado Coffee Growers Federation and the IWCA Brasil signed the letter of understanding represented by Miriam Monteiro, IWCA VP and Yuki Minami, representative for Cerrado Mineiro subchapter and Francisco Sérgio de Assis, federation's president. This strategic alliance sums up the IWCA's mission in three words: connect, empower and advance women in the coffee value chain.

If you're not an IWCA member I invite you to be part of this global network of people and companies with the common goal of giving visibility to women across several segments in the coffee industry and now officially from Cerrado Mineiro as well.

Project with Cerrado Mineiro Region and Casa Brasil Coffees to launch the first D.O. coffees in the U.S.

After the SCA Global Coffee Expo I headed to Austin, Texas for the Cerrado Mineiro Region project with Casa Brasil Coffees to officially launch the first Designation of Origin for coffee production in the world. The project consisted in selecting five producers from different terroirs inside the Cerrado Mineiro Region who would produce a microlot for Casa Brasil.

Selfie with the customized coffee bag for the project

Selfie with the customized coffee bag for the project

Last year, in July we received Joel Shuler, Casa Brasil founder and owner, and Ian Myers, Casa Brasil general manager at Fazenda Olhos d’Água and Fazenda Santo Antonio. Joel selected a coffee plot at the farm, the yellow catuaí plot number 4, and gave us harvest and post-harvest instructions for producing Casa Brasil's microlot. The microlot was hand-picked by a group of 38 people and dried in raised beds. It was a challenging harvest because the workers are used to harvest by stripping the coffee trees' branches and had never done selective harvest. Also, picking yellow fruits is harder than red ones, which are easier to differentiate the maturation level of the fruits due to noticeable distinctive colors between ripe and almost ripe fruits.

In Austin, Edu, a producer’s son participating in the project as well, and I launched the first D.O. coffee at Whole Foods, Central Market and Sa-Ten coffee shops. We did coffee demos at Central Market where we presented and brewed our coffees to final consumers using Chemex method and at the same time shared our stories, passion and love for coffee. My family’s coffees were the Olhos d’Água microlot and the Sweet Cerrado blend.

It was rewarding following the entire coffee journey, literally from seed to cup. I saw the coffee harvesting, drying in raised bed and patios, milling, storing, grading, sorting, packing, exporting, roasting, packing again and finally going to the supermarkets and coffee shop shelves. I felt very fulfilled when interacting with final consumers and sharing with them my own story in coffee and representing the Cerrado Mineiro Region Designation of Origin. I’d like to thank Joel Shuler and the Cerrado Coffee Growers Federation for the opportunity and trust and Kayo Asazu for the opportunity of making presentations to coffee customers and enthusiasts at Sa-Ten.

 

Video produced by Casa Brasil:

Meet Yuki Minami - one of the featured growers whose Designation of Origin coffees are now available as part of our partnership with The Cerrado Mineiro Region. Yuki's great-grandparents moved to Brazil to pursue their love of coffee. Her family has lived in and grown coffee in the Cerrado Mineiro region for over 40 years, and since 2014, Yuki has dedicated herself to producing high-quality specialty coffees at her family's farms. Read more about Yuki on our site: www.casabrasilcoffees.com/olhos-dagua-2018/