Sourcing Travel: Brazil

Brazilian coffee farm in South de Minas

When you are traveling to discover your next single origin or perfect blender the trip can either be an exhilarating adventure or a treacherous drag that leaves you longing for home. I’ve had both. I’ve even had both on the same trip. So much depends on your hosts, your personal threshold for risk, discomfort and microbiome. 

Last year I was asked to assist with the plotting of an origin to trip to Brazil for the multi-national exporter, Sygnetia. They have a small shingle called NuCoffee that specializes in high quality coffees in Brazil. NuCoffee is well outfitted with green grading equipment, cupping labs with a team of highly trained pallets. They also have a sales team, agronomists, farm managing support staff and a slew of others that make the miracle of producing consistent high quality coffee all over an enormous country and sending it on its journey through export only to arrive precisely as you requested it. 

A good friend of mine, Guto Rizental, is the Managing Director fo NuSelect which is a vertically integrated importer of NuCoffee in the US. Guto grew up on coffee farms and has been in the business for the majority of his life. We have known each other for about fifteen years now, I was one of the first people he met in the US. I was helping a friend host a group of Brazilian coffee industry people. We show them around the New York coffee scene back in 2011. Serendipity would have Guto and I stuck in the back of the van together where we would get to spend a lot of time conversing.

So when Guto brought up the idea of hosting this origin trip I was all in. I had never been to Brazil and always wanted to go. Having had many origin trips in the past, I had a strong opinion of what works and what doesn’t; especially if this is intended to generate sales at the end. 

Lab Cupping in Cerrado Mineiro - Day 1

We planned the trip meticulously to manage the delicate balance of adventure and comfort. My side agenda was to search for the perfect Brazil as an espresso blend ingredient I was developing for Gregorys Coffee. 

Coffee or wine, take your pick - Vineyard on a coffee farm in Brazil

The trip was front loaded with heavy travel and cupping in the first days. We would visit farms, a washing station and a dry mill. Travelers were able to experience coffees entire journey and all the forms of control used to produce a great product. We also sprinkled in social and culinary sidebars. One evening we visited a local vineyard, between coffee farms, where we helped harvest grapes before ending up in a private tasting room exploring wines and cheeses of the region. 

Despite these hardships we pressed on, visiting more farms where we were greeted with more cupping, conversation and hospitality. One of the producers that hosted us put on a home-cooked farm lunch that included a freshly culled chicken and cascara iced tea. 

Traveling crew at Pereira, farm and nursery in Patas de Minas

Later that afternoon we visited a large fazenda and had the unique opportunity to ride on a mechanical picker. A giant metal frame on wheels that straddles the entire tree as it collects all its cherries. We had ten people hanging off this beast as we harvested an entire row of trees… all while the sun was setting into the gentle mountains along the horizon. 

Mechanical cherry picking sunset cruise

After a packed day, we road up to the top of a mountain, surrounded by coffee, to a small compound of cabins where we lodged for the night. Our hosts set up an evening outdoor cupping of incredible locally harvested coffees. Once we were enlivened again, they served a meal of delicious fire roasted beef and potatoes accompanied by bottomless glasses of wine and beer. We stuffed our selves and howled at the moon that night. Everyone loosened up and soaked in the vibe of the farm-stay. 

Open air cupping at altitude - love it!

Waking up the next morning at altitude I was greeted by a Red Legged Seriema, a Parakeet and Toucan. That day was our local leisure day which involved a visit to a large waterfall inside Serra da Canastra National Park. It was a welcome break after a rigorous routine of cupping. Finally, we made it to Coito Farm in Canastra where we learned of their commitment to regenerative farming and land stewardship. The coffees were delicious. 

By the end of the odyssey we had cupped over a hundred coffees from all around Minas Gerais - Cerrado, South de Minas, Canastra. When you focus that intensely for days you truly gain a granular understanding of the different profiles for each region and subregion. It was an amazing experience. Through our time together I formed a relationship with the NuCoffee team and we became fully calibrated from our frequent cuppings and gained a true understanding of one another. I was able to communicate precisely what I was looking for in my espresso and the percentages of each subregion to accomplish this and they understood. 

Our entire group at the falls in Serra de Canastra National Park.

With only three tries we landed on the perfect green blend for my Brazil. Nutty notes of almond and hazelnut combined with malic and citric acid balanced by a clean, milk chocolate finish. 200 bags later and it has been spot on every time. 

Brazil is definitely one of the least harrowing trips I have experienced and yet the most rewarding in terms of the final result. To someone that has been working in coffee a long time it was still an eye opening experience in terms of what is possible in farming and processing techniques. It was like earning a PHD in coffee sourcing. Where are you going on your next sourcing trip?

Written by Jake Leonti, F+B Therapy 

Mr. Leonti has worked in coffee for over twenty-five years with disciplines at every link of the value chain from barista to roasting, green grading and importing. Jake is a columnist at Santé Magazine, member of the Roasters Guild and current Director of Coffee at Gregorys Coffee in New York City.