Feb
All articles, Farmers
The man behind Brazil’s best specialty coffee for 2018
Farmer Ismael José de Andrade is excited that the best coffee he grew last year, Brasil Fazenda Paraiso COE #1 2018, became Brazil’s best specialty coffee for 2018, and now can be tasted by Bulgarian specialty coffee aficionados.
After a lengthy period of a presale, Cup of Excellence Brazil 2018 winner is now on a regular sale and everybody who had ordered it already had the chance to taste it on St. Valentine’s day. We bet that you will fall in love with Brazil’s best specialty coffee for 2018 forever. We hope you still remember the great taste of Capim Branco coffee that we introduced in 2014 and which was also produced by Ismael de Andrade.
We spoke with farmer Ismael Jose de Andrade who is in charge of the production in one of Brazil’s oldest coffee farms – the one that belongs to the Andrade family in the state of Minas Gerais. Today, he celebrates his birthday. We wish to him (and to us) to continue cultivating with zest and dedication unique and incredible coffees! Our best and warmest wishes for good health!
Let us talk about Fazenda Paraiso and the lot which won Cup of Excellence. How big is the farm, where is it situated and how long have you been growing specialty coffee there?
Ismael Jose de Andrade: Fazenda Paraiso is one of the micro farms which are part of our Capim Branco terroir in Minas Gerais. It has the same terroir characteristics – has perfectly balanced seasons, an altitude of 1100 meters, lots of rain and sunshine.
Why have you chosen this lot, Brazil Fazenda Paraiso COE #1 2018, to participate in COE?
After many cuppings of coffees from our different farms, the champion lot and several others stood out with the consistency of their qualities. What also contributed to our decision was the fact that right now all around the world this coffee profile is among the most sought-after.
Now all around the world, this coffee profile is among the most sought-after. No wonder, Brazil Fazenda Paraiso COE #1 2018, has become Brazil’s best specialty coffee for 2018.
Why have you chosen Red Catuai since in Capim Branco you predominantly cultivate Yellow Catuai?
Both varieties can be cultivated with great results in our region, but we have chosen Red Catuai because it has also received a
How many of your siblings are involved in coffee producing since traditionally your family cultivates coffee for more than a century now?
We grow specialty coffee in
Your family has two
Besides those farms, we have bought several other smaller farms – micro lots, that are situated near Capim Branco and São Silvestre. These are Paulinho, São Bento, Lagoa Seca, and Paraiso. Today, we sell all the coffee that we produce in them under two brands – São Silvestre specialty coffee and Capim Branco specialty coffee, because these are the names of the two terroirs. São Silvestre terroir includes São Silvestre and Fazenda Paulinho, situated near Serra do Salitre, Minas Gerais. Capim Branco includes Capim Branco, Lagoa Seca, São Bento, and Fazenda Paraiso, situated near Carmo do Paranaiba, also Minas Gerais. São Silvestre terroir is situated at an altitude of 1200 m and enjoys similar conditions as Capim Branco. All our farms produce specialty coffee.
To produce specialty coffee, in fact, social responsibility is a priority, even more so for the team, well, nobody can produce coffee alone. Knowing this, we respect our two teams and make sure that the relationships between them are strong and that they are walking in the same direction. Also, we closely monitor their safety and if they are being treated fairly. And if there are any secret ingredients to get champion coffees, this ingredient is people, special people producing specialty coffees.
You run your own export company. How do you choose your buyers/roasters?
It is, in fact, the buyers that chose us. Every day we work towards improving the quality of our coffee as if this is our last day on earth and with this, we win our clients to become our life-long partners. We search buyers that respect our work as producers, and this is not an easy task because we monitor closely every bag of coffee that we produce.В
We were absolutely sure that Brazil has the potential to produce specialty coffee and that is why we supported the idea of creating such an organization.
You are among the founders of the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association. How did the situation in the specialty coffee sector changed since its foundation in 1991 as far as the support that small producers receive from it?
We have been producing specialty coffee long before we became founders of the Association. We were absolutely sure that Brazil has the potential to produce specialty coffee and that is why we supported the idea of creating such an organization. Together with BSCA, we have a battle and a history regarding Brazilian specialty coffees. And winning the Cup of Excellence, especially in the Natural Category, without a doubt is very significant for us. Because in the beginning, Brazilian Natural coffees were not considered specialty coffees by the rest of the world. But with great insistence, dedication, and hard work, we have been gaining worldwide recognition for the quality of the Natural Coffees produced in Brazil. Today we can say that we produce not only a high-quality Natural coffee, but we produce the best Natural coffees in the world.
What would you like to say to your Bulgarian clients who are about to taste your coffee?
I am extremely happy that the coffee we produced with so much attention will be tasted by people with an incredible national culture that I admire. I hope that with DABOV we will build a
