Specialty: Not by chance

Specialty Coffee is discipline, respect, collective commitment and dedication.

We have already written in previous posts about the multiple hands and work that are behind a cup of quality coffee, and we know that the gear runs through this collective organization.

We have also said that for us the coffee has the producers' names.

Our mission of connecting people through coffee remains more alive than ever, even more in a year like 2020 in which social distancing and digital proximity had a determining role in the relations, professional or personal ones.

The Specialty Coffee is by essence connection. It has the power and the magic of promoting encounters and meetings and approaching people. For this reason, we say that coffee is bridge, house and street, it is always taking us to somewhere. It is ubiquitous in everyone’s routine: at home and out of home, alone or with a companion.

We also said that the world of coffee is cyclical and a no ending one and as it’s a new thing, we must recognize that many researchers, scientists and curious people have started to walk the path of various possibilities that can be accessed through varieties’ genetics, fertilizing and phytosanitary management, harvest techniques, post-harvest processing, controlled fermentation, storing, roasting and brewing methods.

We know that Specialty Coffee is the lack of defects and in practical ways it means that in a farm, from planting to post-harvesting many bodies sweated blood to aim a successful goal. Success in this case is represented by proper crop management, harvesting at the right timing when coffee fruits are at their maturation peak, choosing the best processing and monitoring it, registering experiences and taking notes like temperature, pH, brix, period of fermentation and others variables. Otherwise, it might become a coffee by chance and how will the lot be produced again?

After that phase, roasters will sweat with a lot of research, discipline, roasts and cuppings to identify the matching profile to each coffee. It is necessary playing with variables like time, air flow, temperature, the beginning and the end of the roast.

Yet there is the work of those people in the coffee chain that we have not mentioned and above all the work of the ones behind the scenes. Up to the moment, we have just talked about people and will continue talking because it’s our way of valuing and acknowledging each one’s role. Respecting the coffee as a fruit, a bean and a beverage is respecting the sweat of the people who touched it.

After all, Specialty Coffee is not by chance.

2020 was a challenging year. But it has also aroused our ability of always reinventing ourselves. Taking a deep breath, being grateful and moving on is necessary. We wish you a safe New Year’s Eve, plenty of peace, light, and hope for the new cycle that it’s about to begin. We are one!

Best Regards,

Yuki Minami and Andrezza R.

Especial não é por acaso

Café especial é disciplina, respeito e empenho coletivo.

Nós já falamos por aqui da infinidade de mãos e trabalhos que existem por trás de um café de qualidade, e que a engrenagem só roda por essa organização coletiva.

Já falamos também que para nós, o nome do café é o produtor.

A nossa missão de conectar as pessoas por meio do café continua mais viva do que nunca, ainda mais num ano de distanciamento social e aproximação digital, em que a conectividade teve um papel determinante na manutenção das relações, sejam elas profissionais e/ou pessoais.

O café especial é conexão por essência. Ele tem o poder e a magia de promover encontros e aproximar as pessoas, por isso dissemos que o café é ponte, casa e rua “sempre leva a algum lugar”, afinal, café é caminho e é chegada. É onipresente na rotina: dentro ou fora de casa, sozinho ou acompanhado.

Falamos também que o mundo do café é cíclico e não tem fim e, que por ser algo novo, há de se reconhecer que existe um caminho já percorrido por estudiosos, curiosos e pesquisadores acerca das inúmeras possibilidades a serem alcançados na genética das cultivares, manejo de fertilidade e fitossanitário, técnicas de colheita e processamento em pós-colheita, fermentação controlada, armazenagem, torra e métodos de preparo.

Sabemos que café especial é a ausência de defeitos e isso na prática significa que, em uma fazenda, desde o plantio à pós-colheita muitos corpos suaram para atingir um resultado bem-sucedido. Sucesso sendo representado por manejo adequado, colheita no tempo certo, ou seja, no ápice da maturação do fruto, escolha do processamento e seu monitoramento, registro de experiências e suas anotações tais como temperatura, pH, brix, tempo de fermentação e outros parâmetros. Se não, tem potencial para se tornar apenas um acaso e talvez não se obtenha aquele café novamente.

Após essa etapa, mais pessoas suarão: os torrefadores que através de muita pesquisa, disciplina, torras e provas identificam o perfil “match” ideal para cada café. É preciso “brincar” com as variáveis: tempo, fluxo de ar, temperatura, o início e o fim.

E ainda, tem muito trabalho que não elencamos de outros agentes da cadeia do café e sobretudo daqueles que estão por trás dela. Até aqui falamos das pessoas e continuaremos falando porque é nossa forma de valorizar e reconhecer o papel de cada um. Respeitar o café em fruto, em grão e em bebida é respeitar o suor das pessoas que o tocaram.

Por tudo isso, Café especial não é por acaso.

Este ano foi desafiador. Mas também nos mostrou que somos capazes de nos reinventar sempre. É preciso respirar, agradecer e seguir. Desejamos a todos um Feliz Ano Novo, cheio de paz, luz, e esperança nos tempos que virão. Somos todos um!

Saudações,

Yuki Minami e Andrezza R.

SCA Coffee Systems Map

The SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) has been promoting a “Systems Map Discussion Series” organized around the central activities of the Coffee Systems Map.

The first webinar focused on Farming and Processing, the second was about Exporting. Yuki Minami was invited and participated as a panelist for the Exporting webinar.

And the full webinar episode is available at SCA website.

https://sca.coffee/sca-news/watch/systems-map-episode-2

(SCA) Can you describe what your role is in the coffee sector? 

(YM) I'm a coffee producer as Minami Agrícola and exporter through my company Aequitas Coffee. 

(SCA) On the map we have identified six activities – Farming, Processing, Importing, Exporting, Roasting, and Brewing. Which activities are you involved with?

(YM) Farming, Processing and Exporting.

(SCA) Looking at the Coffee Systems Map, which actors (the groups listed on the outside of the circle) are you MOST familiar with?

(YM) It's important to say that I'm familiar to the ones I have a relationship with as producer and exporter. 

So, I'm most familiar with:

Skilled laborers because I manage the farm team during harvest and postharvest processing period; 

Standards and Certifications because the coffee farm holds UTZ and other certifications;

Financial Institutions for coffee production and export financing;

Producers as Aequitas exports coffee from other producers, and I have relationship with the co-op coffee producers which I'm member at;

Mills as our farming production is dry milled, graded and sorted at the co-op warehouse which also works as a Storage Facility; 

Transportation Companies for carrying the coffee up to the port; 

Allied Industries that provide products and services for coffee production and coffee export;  

Brokers that sell part of Minami coffee production in the domestic market;

Nongovernmental Organizations because I'm an IWCA member and part of the current board of directors.

(YM) I'd like to be more connected with Future Traders for risk management and to fix prices and protect part of the coffee production and also coffee for export, also Research Institutions to access knowledge about coffee varietals which produce increment yield and cup quality, also efficiency improvements in operations of harvest post-harvest techniques. 

(SCA) Looking at the Coffee Systems Map, which actors (the groups listed on the outside of the circle) are you LEAST familiar with? Or are there actors you would like to be MORE connected with?

(YM) I'm least familiar with Future Traders, Government Agencies, Insurance Companies, Research Institutions, Media, Waste, ICE, Auditors and Retailers.