People
Located in Venda Nova do Imigrante, Brazil, Sitio dos Cedros is a special farm surrounded by cedar trees. It belongs to Phelipe Bruineli Brioschi and his family. The Brioschi family, in our view, represents the image of ambitous young producers. Keep reading below to find out why.
“Coffee is the livelihood and history of my family. But also, coffee is the future that I intend to build for myself, and for all the people who are around me, and who depend on my work.” – Phelipe Bruineli Brioschi
The brothers want to approach coffee through an innovative lens so as to be involved not only in the first step of the value chain, as producers. Bearing this in mind, the two aspiring brothers started Farmers’ Coffee with 2 other partners, with the aim of bringing local farmers and customers closer.
Five generations ago, Phelipe’s great-great-grandfather emigrated from Italy to reach Brazil and started a coffee farm. Currently, Sitio dos Cedros is only 20 hectares large due to several land divisions for inheritance across 5 generations.
Hard work and determination to reach their goals brought them to success and recognition. Sitio dos Cedros has won several awards since 2014, such as the Venda Nova do Imigrante Quality Contest (2014) and the Highlight Prize 2017 promoted by BSCA.
Coffee quality is where the Brioschi family aims to shine. Small land limits Phelipe’s family to compete on the market by volume. This is why Brioschi family decided to opt for a new long-term vision. They focus on quality instead of quantity, for both economical and sustainable reasons.
Overall, during each season in Espírito Santo runs from September to March (later compared to the rest of Brazil), Phelipe and his family perform fertilization and cultural treatments, as well as pruning, renovating crops, and cleaning weeds between the rows. Before planting coffee trees, they always ensure that the soil has sufficient nutrients and balanced acidity. After processing the coffee, Phelipe brings the coffee to Farmers’ Coffee for quality assessment.
“At Sitio dos Cedros, we do the best with the little we have” – Phelipe Bruineli Brioschi
Price
One of the current biggest challenges is to pay the producer a fair price and build a direct relationship with farmers. Farmers’ Coffee, as their name carries, was established as “by farmers for farmers”. Thus, ensuring that their local farmers get paid for a good score of coffee is their priority.
At The Coffee Quest, we also take a strong stand on paying farmers a fair price. Through the partnership with Farmers Coffee and The Coffee Quest Brasil, we seek to act upon our shared values and pay the farmer for their true effort.
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Planet
Sitio dos Cedros is surrounded by virgin Atlantic forest, accounting for almost 50% of the farm area. Because the region of the farm has many cedars naturally, it became the symbol of their house and the name of their property. Although several cedars were removed for wood in the old days, the Brioschi family preserved the current area as a commitment to the environment.
Moreover, Phelipe and his family avoid the use of herbicides and fungicides, along with minimum fertilizer application. The family also handles soil with care to reduce soil erosion.
“An improvement in coffee production cannot go without improving the quality of the bean, the soil, and the life quality of farmers” .-Phelipe Bruineli Brioschi
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