I wanted to let you all know that the Brazil Sete Cachoeiras Estate - Rainforest Alliance coffee was given an award at the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) this year to recognize their quality among all the Rainforest Alliance Coffee produced.

When I went out for dinner with Renato Farhat Brito and his father Marcel Renato Brito, the owners of this estate, they had mentioned that when they entered this contest, they entered the exact same Lot of coffee we chose to import.

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Fratello Coffee has wanted to support a greater cause when purchasing our coffees.  We are choosing to work directly with farmers, and when possible purchase Rainforest Alliance (RFA) products.  This does not mean we are not going to continue to source Organic and Fairtrade Organic products, it just means we would rather choose the RFA Certification on our coffees.   

I have had some issues in the past bringing in Organic certified coffees, not because I don’t agree with organic certification, but simply because I know most coffee farms are indeed organic.  A lot of farmers don’t use pesticides, chemicals and un-natural fertilizers because they can’t afford them.  These same farmers can’t afford the to undergo certification to become “Organic”.

(Healthy envoirnment in Bolivia)

While I agree that farmers should be paid more for QUALITY products, and agree with the philosphy’s surrounding Fairtrade.  I’ve always wondered at the track-ability of the funds so that I can ensure they are reaching the actual farmers and workers on the farm. 

To me, it is much more important to get funds directly to a farmer, the workers and their families, than it is to pay a premium which goes to the Fairtrade certified Co-op that purchases coffees from the farmers.  I do know that Fairtrade has made huge living and working improvements to many area’s in the world, but I’m unable to trace our funds directly to the source.  Accountability is very important to us.

Fratello wants to support our partners in the coffee growing comunities, and we want to ensure that the farmers and workers are not only paid well, but are well looked after.  We also want to ensure that the total environment is looked at, not simply that they are organic.  

Rainforest Alliance auditors measure farms against ten key principles of sustainable agriculture.  These 10 key factors were designed by Rainforest Alliance and other members of the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) - a coalition of nonprofit conservation organizations that work together to promote socially responsible and environmentally sustainable agriculture. 

(healthy coffee farm and enviornment in Brazil)

For more information on the 10 key factors, please read below. (Read the rest of this post)

Fratello Coffee has found a new source for its Guatemalan coffee and is pleased to announce that it is certified by Rainforest Alliance.  We have chose to work with the Nueva Granada estate and will have this amazing coffee starting in December of this year. 

Guatemalan Nueva Granada – Single Estate - Rainforest Alliance Certified Cupping Score – 87.6 – Nutty & chocolate orange aromas prepare you for the dark chocolate and creamy/silky mouth feel with lingering and zesty orange acidity.  

Nueva Granada Estate Coffee
During the harvest, Nueva Granada selects only the ripest cherries, and when the beans are in parchment form, again grades the coffees and stores them in burlap bags in a special, dry, wood-line storeroom. Once an order comes from Fratello Coffee Co., the parchment covering is removed and Nueva Granada’s blue-green beans are carefully selected and prepared for shipment.

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In August - Chris and Russ were in Brazil visiting the Sete Cachoeiras coffee estate. While there, they took some great photos of their tours and Russ decided to describe everything that he saw and learned - and we turned it into a Coffee Knowledge slide show. Click the picture below to launch slide show or click the Link. 

Russ & I had the pleasure of taking some of our staff down to Brazil last month on an educational buying trip. We met farmers committed to more then just quality coffee, but also who were committed to making a difference in the environment and to the lives of people who worked for them on their farms.

We look forward to bringing to Calgary some of these special coffees and the stories of the families who put so much heart into producing them. I want to give a special thanks to Schieder and the good people of Tristao Trading for hosting our Fratello family while in Brazil. It was a fantastic trip!

 We recently had the pleasure of touring Brazil, and one of our main objectives was to visit Renato Farhat Brito and his father Marcelo Renato Brito who own and operate the Sete Cachoeiras Estate Coffee farm in Sul De Minas Brazil (Sul De Minas is one of the largest coffee growing areas in Brazil).

The reason we wanted to visit this farm in particular is because it is one of approximately 15 farms in Brazil that are certified Rainforest Alliance. What makes Sete Cachoeiras unique over the other Rainforest Alliance farms is that they go well beyond their requirements for certification, and when they originally applied for this certification, it took very little effort to accomplish this goal as Renato and Marcelo already believed and practiced the philosophy’s of protecting the environment and treating their employees with the respect and compensation that they deserved.   This farm is also Utz Kapeh Certified.

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I am sitting here looking out the window at the beautiful coast of Victoria, Brazil, getting ready for a long journey home. We have had an amazing time…to much to be said in this one entry. We learned so much, and I am personally looking forward to bringing this knowledge back home to our customers.Not only that, there have been many new relationships begun, and incredible stories of people going far above and beyond what is normal as it relates to coffee quality, agricultural innovation, and environmental & social practices. We are excited to tell these stories, share their coffee with you & support these new friends of ours.Lots more to be said, but that is all for now. Time to head home! See you soon.