Coffee Fairs and Meetings

Yuki Minami at Fazenda Olhos d’Água, Rio Paranaíba, Minas Gerais

One of the infinite things we seek in our journey is the sense of belonging, which means believing that we are in the right path. Coffee brought and brings this feeling every day.

We know that right and wrong are broad and individual concepts, and for this reason they must be respected and understood.

The timing of things is also relative, and the answers we seek sometimes come faster for some people than for others, and there are those who care more about questioning than actually about certainties. And everything is all right.

Aequitas emerged at first as an idea, now is materialising the search for something that brings satisfaction and positive impact to the lives of people.

We believe that working makes sense when it has a purpose in itself: to thrive together. The joy is greater when it is spread out, as Buddha already taught us:

“Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never diminishes when shared.”

Coffee Buddha is a photograph by Falko Follert which was uploaded on December 31st, 2012.

The balance and valuation of relationships was our North and lead us to embark towards a dream of creating a business that valued the product as much as the story and its actors, especially the invisible ones.

Giving voice and visibility to those who do not appear for obvious market reasons allow us to connect all agents of the coffee chain without skipping anyone – from producer to consumer.

Image from https://floridajusticetechnologycenter.org/just-what-is-the-justice-gap/

We know that a fair and balanced relationship is not one of equals, because in that way we could not reach a balanced measure, since we are all different in physical / financial / psychological or intellectual aspects. The world is seen by different viewpoints and perspectives.

We can find concepts of justice and equity well clarified by Aristotle:

“equals should be treated equally and unequals unequally.”

Image from Wikipedia. Busto de Aristóteles. Cópia romana de uma escultura de Lísipo

The mentioned concepts were presented to say that it was in fairs where we started exploring and began what we do today: making products and stories traveling around the world. It is adding the main ingredient to the coffee: the magic of making someone happy here, there and everywhere.

Fairs promote contact with different countries, products, knowledge exchange and the most important: connect people. The meetings makes possible many exchanges and it is rewarding to participate in each one.

We always have something to learn and to teach, with this purpose we look for attending coffee movements, big and small ones, because there is strength in numbers.

Gratitude for every exchange that makes us be certain of what we are doing is the right thing.

Das Feiras e Dos Encontros

Yuki Minami na Fazenda Olhos d’Água, Rio Paranaíba, Minas Gerais

Uma das infinitas coisas que buscamos encontrar em nossa jornada é a sensação de pertencimento, que significa acreditar estar no caminho certo. O café trouxe e traz esse sentimento todos os dias.

Sabemos que certo e errado são conceitos amplos e individuais, e assim, devem ser respeitados e compreendidos.

            O tempo das coisas também é relativo e as respostas que buscamos às vezes chegam mais rápidas para uns que para outros, e há aqueles que se preocupam mais com as perguntas do que de fato com as certezas. E está tudo bem.

            Foi assim que, na busca por algo que trouxesse satisfação e possibilidade de impactar positivamente a vida das pessoas que surgiu a ideia, hoje materializada, da Aequitas.

            Acreditamos que o trabalho faz sentido quando tem em si um propósito: prosperar junto. A alegria é muito maior quando se espalha, e como já ensinava BUDA:

“Milhares de velas podem ser acesas de uma única vela e a vida da vela não será encurtada. Felicidade nunca diminui ao ser compartilhada.”

Coffee Buddha is a photograph by Falko Follert which was uploaded on December 31st, 2012.

            Foi com esse Norte, de equilíbrio e valoração das relações que embarcamos rumo a um sonho empresarial que prezasse o produto tanto quanto a história e seus atores, principalmente os invisíveis.

Dar voz e visibilidade àqueles que não aparecem por motivos óbvios de mercado, permite conectar todos os setores da cadeia do café, sem pular ninguém – do produtor ao consumidor.

Image from https://floridajusticetechnologycenter.org/just-what-is-the-justice-gap/

            Sabemos que uma relação justa e equilibrada, não é aquela de igual para igual, pois assim não se conseguiria chegar a uma balança equilibrada, já que somos todos diferentes, seja de capacidade física/financeira/psicológica ou intelectual.  O mundo é visto por diferentes olhos e olhares.

            Podemos encontrar conceitos de justiça e equidade muito bem esclarecidos por Aristóteles:  

“igualdade é tratar igualmente os iguais e desigualmente os desiguais, na medida de sua desigualdade.”

Image from Wikipedia. Busto de Aristóteles. Cópia romana de uma escultura de Lísipo

            Todo esse apanhado para dizer que foi nas feiras que desbravamos o que hoje fazemos: fazer com que produtos e histórias circulem pelo mundo. É facilitar e possibilitar que o café produzido no interior tenha a magia de fazer alguém feliz aqui, e também lá fora.

            As feiras promovem esse contato de países, produtos, conhecimentos e o mais importante: conectam pessoas. Todos os encontros possibilitam trocas diversas e é enriquecedor participar de cada evento.

            Sempre temos algo a aprender e a ensinar, e é com esse intuito que procuramos estar presentes nos movimentos do café, os grandes e os pequenos, pois se é da união que vem a força, cá estamos.

            Gratidão por cada troca que nos faz ter a certeza de estar fazendo a coisa certa.

Visit to Bucharest: the art of hospitality.

Try the experimental

The days in Bucharest, Romania, are another Aequitas story of connection and contact that coffee establishes and allow us to experience.

Trofic, Bucharest

Exploring and embarking on the unknown is always a fascinating feeling, as you do not know what lies ahead, and when the experience positively surprises you, the magic happens.

For the first time in Eastern Europe, we had no idea that Bucharest has one the largest concentration of specialty coffees shops per capita, after London and more than Berlin, and which means the crowd there likes and understands coffee.

Visiting Romania

“It is considered by many to be one of the most enigmatic countries in Eastern Europe. This Latin-speaking country that houses 7 UNESCO Cultural Heritage Sites houses places as beautiful as mystics, protagonists of famous legends and histories such as Transylvania and Count Dracula’s Castle.”

provided, in addition to the symbolic atmosphere, the knowledge of how emerging and pulsating is the market and consumption of specialty coffee there.

We were lucky to see the coffee scene in Bucharest through the eyes of the Origo & Trofic team. Panfil, who endeavored Origo six years ago, and Lavinia, his right arm, organized the visit and allowed us to live the pinnacle of comfort and joy that is tasting good food and drinking good coffee.

Everything from the meticulous selection of ingredients to the way they are combined and presented make up the pleasure of great hospitality. It is so much love and care that such a reception brings you back and forth to those places, whether for the pleasant background music or the delicious coffee.

We were surprised since the moment we got there until we left. Amazed in the sense of surprise, the one that leads to an unexpected happiness in someone, so good to feel. Well, of course we had expectations for this visit, however it was far beyond an ordinary visit to a client. Meetings between the producer, Yuki Minami, coffee shop owners and consumers were organized and created the perfect environment to promote lots of knowledge exchange among these actors in the coffee chain.

Most of the times for producers getting to know the final consumers who are drinking their coffee and for consumers meeting a coffee producer seem something inaccessible and so distant from each other. But this distance disappeared in one simple but impactful object: postcards. Origo customers left messages to Yuki in postcards where they shared their experiences, sensations and feelings about her coffee and vice-versa.

One of them stirred his emotions, saying that the coffee from Fazenda Olhos d'Água triggered sensory memories linked to nature and the feeling of contemplation. Nothing more sacred and deep than reaching this remembrance.

This a clear indication that the North to follow is the one that unites and brings people together, coffee is sacred as well as the exchanged memories and experiences. We left Bucharest feeling so much gratitude for this delight and with our hearts full of affection.