Chapter Spotlight: Brazil — Five Stops, Five Women, One Shared Future

Some journeys are measured in miles. Others are measured in what they change.

Across five stops in Brazil, this visit through Minas Gerais traced the depth, complexity, and courage behind women-led coffee production—revealing a value chain shaped by science, tradition, resilience, and care.

Stop 1 — Alta Mogiana (Ibiraci)
With Lais of Cocapil Specialty Coffee, the journey began inside a visionary operation where innovation and research meet generational legacy. By transforming her family’s traditional business into a hub of experimental fermentations, advanced technology, and sensory excellence, Lais offered a powerful example of women-led transformation in one of the world’s most important producing regions.

Stop 2 — Espírito Santo (Boa Esperança)
Hosted by Luiza, the experience moved into the soil itself. A producer and plant nutrition scientist, Luiza applies her doctoral expertise to enrich her land with natural micro- and macronutrients—deepening sweetness, aroma, and complexity in the cup. From a picnic among the coffee trees to hands-on harvest observation, her work showed how knowledge, care, and connection to land shape quality.

Stop 3 — Campo das Vertentes (Ingaí)
At Maria Helena’s farm, coffee became legacy. With tenderness and precision, she shared her relationship with her plants—healthy, abundant, and meticulously cared for through exclusively manual harvesting. The day closed with a sunset picnic overlooking her farm, a moment that held beauty, memory, and intention in equal measure.

Stop 4 — Campo das Vertentes (Oliveira)
With Thais, the journey confronted the realities of coffee without illusion. Rising costs, labor shortages, and climate pressure sit alongside passion and commitment. Through conversations with workers and observation of both manual and mechanical harvesting, her story illustrated the courage required to continue producing coffee that is fair, sustainable, and true.

Stop 5 — Sul de Minas (Varginha)
The final stop brought refinement and innovation together at Donna Zezinha’s estate. Alongside her husband, she runs both a plantation and a restaurant, uniting hospitality with production. Award-winning 90+ coffees, advanced mechanical harvesting, and a converted fermentation container—where temperature, humidity, and even Reiki music are carefully controlled—offered a poetic closing insight: coffee, like people, responds to harmony.

Taken together, these five women tell a larger story. One of persistence and vision. Of science and intuition. Of love for land and belief in a better system.

This journey through Brazil did not just showcase exceptional coffees. It affirmed something deeper: when women lead, the future of coffee grows more thoughtful, more resilient, and more human.