Nucoffee around the world: Innovation surprises experts in Poland and the USA
There are more than 300,000 coffee producers in Brazil alone, and the question remains: how do you stand out in such a large and competitive market?
Nucoffee was founded with the aim of helping Brazilian coffee growers provide superior quality coffee to their partners, while also helping them to stand out locally and internationally.
We recently had two great opportunities to present the best Brazilian coffees from our Artisans, Direct, and Nutraceutical projects to roasters and buyers in the United States and Europe. It’s safe to say that the results were surprising.
Read on to find out more about innovation, Brazilian coffee, and the opinions of foreign experts.
Nucoffee innovations excite at event
The Specialty Coffee Expo is one of the most important annual events in the coffee sector, and is organised by the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association). In 2021, it was held in person in New Orleans, Louisiana.
This was a delicate time, right after the city had been devastated by a hurricane. As we know, however, the coffee market is resilient by nature, and plenty of stakeholders made an appearance.
Nucoffee was there to introduce a range of unique innovations to an audience of respected coffee professionals and buyers from around the world.
We often participate in international events, but this one was special; we were able to showcase some of the newest and most exclusive technologies developed by Nucoffee in partnership with universities and other professionals.
“It was a surprise. Buyers were impressed,” says Guto Rizental, Nucoffee's manager for the US market. “We took advantage of the event to reveal four innovations. The idea was to demonstrate the diversity of flavours in Brazil, with coffees from Artisans and Direct and also the healthiness of nutraceuticals and coffee pulp tea.”
He adds that the Nucoffee booth was one of the busiest at the event.
“Buyers tasted and came back with more people,” he says. “And after the event, many more were interested.”
Notable participants
In addition to the in-person cuppings at the booth, we also held small virtual meetings with the projects’ partner specialists.
Professor Rosane Schwan, a microbiology expert at the Federal University of Lavras (UFLA) in Brazil, explained how the Artisans project works. This is essentially a controlled fermentation project developed by Nucoffee in partnership with UFLA.
It has boasted increasingly positive results over the years, raising the overall score of the coffees in the programme.
Visitors also had the chance to hear agricultural expert Professor Flávio Borém talk about nutraceutical coffee. Research shows that this type of coffee contains high levels of antioxidants, proving to be an excellent alternative for those looking for an even healthier drink.
Our coffee pulp tea also caught the public's attention. This product is essentially coffee pulp which has been reprocessed for the preparation of hot and cold tea. It’s a superb coffee alternative that can be mixed with sparkling water and other ingredients.
In Guto's opinion, the company's participation was extremely important.
“Nucoffee has always focused on supporting producers in improving quality and increasing the percentage of specialty coffee that they grow each season,” he says. “Now, the company is part of a cycle, presenting the results of these innovations and partnerships to the wider market.”
A new universe of flavours
Another event that proved to be the perfect platform to present Nucoffee innovations was the Brazilian Coffee Day. This was held by Nucoffee in partnership with Unroasted and the Brazilian Embassy in Warsaw, Poland.
The virtual cupping with Silvio Leite was one of the highlights of the program. Silvio, the founder of Agricafé and a partner of both the Artisans and Direct projects, spoke about improving coffee quality from the perspective of post-harvest innovations and new roasting techniques.
As one of the founders of the Cup of Excellence programme, Silvio is also an experienced competition judge and one of the world’s foremost cupping trainers.
Around 30 roasters participated in the tasting, with the aim of shortening the distance between buyers and producers. After tasting the coffees, everyone was able to pose their questions directly to the coffee growers, João Marcos Botelho and Marcelo de Assis Nogueira, who also participated.
In Silvio's view, the project focuses on two areas.
The first emphasises existing attributes, making the coffee more intense and adding sweetness, as well as notes of caramels, molasses, and fruit.
The second promotes anaerobic fermentation by using starter cultures, thereby adding more quality and depth to the coffee.
“It is an ongoing study that has already had excellent results,” he explains. “New aromas and flavours emerged, with a predominance of sweetened rapadura, fruity dried and fresh fruits, and floral notes.
He adds that the coffees reminded him of Geshas, especially because of the presence of rose and jasmine aromas.
“This Nucoffee project is opening up a new world, and producers are benefiting, as they can diversify their portfolios by using a process that helps to expand sensory notes and increase cup scores,” he concludes.
These are innovations that benefit the producer, the buyer, and the researcher, as well as strengthening the entire production chain. This is a key part of how Nucoffee showcases its commitment to connecting actors across the coffee supply chain with quality, true stories, and innovation.
We look forward to reporting on the progress of these projects as the year progresses!
