The beautiful aroma of freshly fermented fruit is spreading across the highlands of South America. Patios, drying beds, and dry mills are filling up after an intense harvest season in Ethiopia. We are now thrilled to have a wide variety of delicious coffees from Latin America on our tables. Explore Trabocca’s sourcing strategy for the 2024 harvest from Brazil and Peru. Our goal is to develop these origins further and introduce you to key figures in our pursuit of outstanding Brazilian and Peruvian coffees. Meet Maria and Fernando, our Latin sourcing specialists, learn about our signature supply chains, and discover exciting new regions we aim to develop with you.
While Trabocca is renowned for its African coffees, especially from Ethiopia, we have steadily diversified our origin portfolio. Curiosity drives us to explore new possibilities. In 2013, 86% of our total coffee volume was Ethiopian. Ten years later, Ethiopia makes up 62%, while Brazil and Peru have become key origins, now accounting for a quarter of our annual volume. Our strategic approach to sourcing high-quality coffee from these regions has been instrumental in this growth.With strong relationships and established supply chains we are confident to supply outstanding coffees from Brazilian and Peruvian 2024 harvest. Learn more below.
Maria Porto grew up in Varginha, a city not only known for its historic alien encounter but also as a major coffee hub in Minas Gerais, Brazil’s largest coffee-producing state. Her upbringing in the coffee fields, coupled with her experience at the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA) and various cooperatives, gives her a deep understanding of Brazilian coffee. Maria’s passion for coffee enriches Trabocca’s team and helps us expand our signature supply chains in Brazil. As one of our six Q-Graders, she also plays a crucial role in enhancing sensory calibration across our offices.
Fernando Seminario is the heart of our Latin sourcing efforts. Since joining Trabocca in 2013, he has been instrumental in diversifying our supply chains in Latin America. Fernando has established sustainable relationships with producers, focusing on quality and consistency. His expertise in Peru makes him the ideal partner for finding exceptional coffees from South and Central America.
Fazenda Passeio and Adolfo (producer of Passeio) are an integral part of Trabocca. Adolfo was one of the initiators and later also president of the BSCA, where he was also strongly involved in creating the famous Cup of Excellence competition. Besides laying the groundwork for the most successful coffee auction worldwide, he was even winning the 1st place in the competition with his Pulped Natural Passeio coffee in 2013. Fazenda Passeio is incredibly well planned, including its own variety garden and processing facilities. Adolfo is not only extremely passionate and knowledgeable about how the soil interacts with the varieties he plants. After hosting Adolfo and his daughter once again in Amsterdam during our Meet The Producer Event around Amsterdam Coffee Festival we are more than eager to now visit him in Brazil again.
The Sitios of Sul de Minas is a project by Legender Coffee, run by Demilson Batista Jr. and his family. They source outstanding coffees from smallholder producers in Sul de Minas, focusing on yellow varieties like Yellow Catuai, Obata, and Arara. These hand-picked, naturally processed coffees offer fruit-forward profiles and traceability to individual families, aligning with Trabocca’s vision for building strong and transparent supply chains.
Situated in Cabo Verde, Fazenda Das Almas is benefiting from volanic mineralic soils and unique climatic conditions. The Farm was established in 1965 and was one of pioneer models of Sul de Minas. When Adriano, took over the family buisness from his father he was starting to implement new structures, varieties, and processes and as a result improved the coffee quality substantial. Besides the classic natural and pulped natural processings they have been experimenting with red, yellow and black honey, fermentation with carbonic maceration, semi-carbonic maceration, and fermentations in open boxes and suspended beds. Due to all their efforts, Fazenda Das Almas creates beautiful and unique cup profiles. We only started working together recently, but are totally intrigued by the distinct flavor profiles of Das Almas.
Check MyTrabocca for our available Peruvian coffees or reach out to your trader to secure the best coffees from the ongoing 2024 Peru harvest.
After working with Legender Coffee and The Sitios of Sul de Minas we saw a rising demand in unique cup profiles from Brazilian smallholder producers. Being able to trace back coffees to single producers and building lasting relationship is substantial to Trabocca’s vision. And it gets even more beautiful, if you can do it in countries that are mainly known for large conventional farming. Now with Maria, as an expert in sourcing outstanding coffees from Brazil, we are motivated to explore and discover new flavor profiles to once again break our perception of how certain origins have to taste. Earlier this year, we took part in an Auction by Bourbon Coffees, that showcased ten micro lots from producers within the Espirito Do Santo state. Totally amazed by the pungent acidity we began to create more curiosity in sourcing coffees from here.
Our connection with Valle Verde Cooperative began in 2013 when Fernando joined Trabocca and brought this partnership to life. Originally part of the larger Monteverde Cooperative , Valle Verde became independent in 2017. Both cooperatives are situated near the Moyobamba Coffee Hub in Rodriguez de Mendoza, within the Amazonas region. This area is known for its unique climatic conditions and rich agricultural heritage, supported by native communities. Since Valle Verde’s independence, we have closely collaborated with them to establish certification programs and improve quality and traceability protocols. This year, we had the pleasure of hosting Rafael, Valle Verde’s General Manager, for our Meet The Producer Event at Amsterdam Coffee Festival. It was Rafael’s first trip to Europe, and it provided an excellent opportunity to connect him with the roasters who have been buying his coffee for years. Meeting in person allowed us to strengthen our partnership and focus on enhancing workflows and quality. Switching Valle Verde’s dry processing to the Monteverde Mill has significantly improved the uniformity and overall quality of their coffee.
Cenfrocafe is a larger cooperative that works with a wide range of producers in northern Peru, offering us access to a variety of coffees, from standard grades to exceptional micro-lots. We have partnered with Cenfrocafe since 2014, building strong relationships that connect their producer network with our roaster network. The cooperative supports over 2,000 smallholder producers by providing infrastructure, financial assistance, and technical knowledge. They operate several warehouses across the region, a large dry mill, and offer on-site technical assistance. Although Cenfrocafe faced significant economic and administrative challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in a decline in export volumes, their focus on strengthening community ties and producer relationships has paid off. By prioritizing their network, Cenfrocafe has successfully enhanced traceability and improved the quality of their coffee.
Check MyTrabocca for our available Peruvian coffees or reach out to your trader to secure the best coffees from the ongoing 2024 Peru harvest.
Our current focus is on northern Peru, particularly the diverse regions of Cajamarca and Amazonas. We are excited to onboard a new supplier around the coffee hub of Jaen in the Cajamarca region, which stood out to us due to their outstanding cup profiles and competitive pricing. This partnership reinforces our confidence to supply some of the best coffees from northern Peru – thanks to our long-standing relationships and the addition of new, promising partners.
Simultaneously, we are exploring fascinating supply chains in central and southern states, to develop more impact and diversify our Peruvian offerings. Lately we have discovered exceptional coffees from interesting smallholder cooperatives within Cusco and Junin. We are keen to establish supply chains from these regions to further expand our impact and presence in Peru’s coffee industry.