Brazil Travel Report

At cumpa, we firmly believe that in 2025, producers truly are the protagonists—and hold real power within the value chain. Our Brazilian partnership, and its beginning, form a beautiful expression of this belief.

As we rethink the network of global specialty coffee value chains, the lines between producers and importers begin to blur. Jimmy, for example, has become much more than a partner of cumpa—he is part of cumpa.

When he, Gino, and Anthony arrived in Espírito Santo, Brazil, they first spent two nights in Vitória before beginning their journey.

“It is beautiful, the beach, but also quite expensive here,” Jimmy noted during their pre-work vacation days.

Luisa from BMP Farmers picked them up and brought them to Sitio Chapadinha at Bastianello Coffee. There, they visited both the family’s plantation and home—meeting four generations of the Bastianello family. The dedication and incredible achievements left a lasting impression.

While Elisa was away from the farm, Robson and Flavio guided them through the cultivation, harvest, postharvest methods, and even shared how science shapes their approach to coffee.

The group also visited Pedra Azul, an iconic rock formation, and spent hours on scenic drives through sparsely populated fincas, Atlantic rainforest, and villages.

At the BMP Farmers office and warehouse, the visitors were struck by the professionalism of a company founded just in 2020.

Next, the group traveled to Fazenda Venturim in northern Espírito Santo—a long car ride that traced the light settlements of Brazil’s Atlantic coast, culturally shaped by European migrants and their mix with Afro and American communities.

Lucas Venturim and his family welcomed them with open arms and open minds. Fazenda Venturim is not only known for high-quality Conilon—both in bean and in clonal development—but also for being the first to gain BSCA certification for specialty Canephora in 2018. This milestone opened the door for other producers to enter the specialty segment.

The visitors cupped a lot of coffee, exchanged gifts, and toured fincas. While no direct cumpa business emerged this time, the gratitude of the Peruvian visitors—and ours—was profound.

Back in Venda Nova do Imigrante, more missions awaited. They visited Edalmo Pessin, where they witnessed a modern Conilon operation. Here, drones reduce herbicide use by half, and families run vertically integrated businesses—from bean to cup.

At Sitio Figueiredo, they deepened their understanding of family-driven coffee production.

The journey continued to IFES, where they spoke with pioneering Canephora researchers and the Coffee Design Group. They learned about the Canephora Flavour Wheel, a project IFES helped develop—where even Peruvian samples from CEPRO Yanesha were included.

Across Espírito Santo, the group was received with open arms, warm hearts, and a true spirit of exchange.

While it’s true we reduced our carbon emissions by not traveling ourselves from Germany to Brazil, that is only a minor benefit. The real achievement is showing who the most important stakeholders in specialty coffee truly are: Producers.

Producer-to-producer exchange enables deep knowledge transfer—especially in Canephora, where this kind of dialogue has long been underrepresented. We’re here to change that.

Special thanks to Jimmy, Gino, and Anthony; Luisa, Derio, and the BMP Farmers team; Lucas and the Fazenda Venturim family; the Bastianello, Figueiredo, and Pessin families; Aldemar, and all the students and researchers at IFES.

We are deeply grateful for this beautiful beginning to our partnership.

Parabéns!