Por Elisa Lambert
Official Blog: http://addyeastside.wix.com/addyincoffeeland

Dear Coffee and/or Brazil fans!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Sinto atualizar esta página Internet tão tarde!!! (I'm sorry for the late update!) I decided to take a tablet instead of a laptop to Brazil to avoid overweight regarding the airport guidelines, but unfortunately it's impossible to edit this page with android systems, so I had to ask at Fazenda Nossa Senhora Aparecida, the location of the administration, if I could lend a computer in order to keep you posted.

 After a long flight from Munich to Sao Paulo, I had to take a domestic flight to Riberão Preto. When I arrived there I was picked up and brought to Fazenda Chapadão, where O'Coffee welcomes its interns and guests. 

In contrary to African coffee producing countries the inhabitants of Brazil love to drink coffee. Normally they prepare it manual, means they usually grind and brew the beans themselves. They enhance the intensively aromatized drink with sugar (white or brown).

On Monday, 7th of July, I changed my room located in a Bungalow like house at Chapadão, took breakfast at the lovely restaurant there and then Gabrinio, the coodinator of the reception, drove Pedro, another intern, and me to Nossa Senhora Aparecida. First of all the staff introduced everybody of the administration. Then we learned about the criteria of a successfully roasted coffee and how to roast raw Arabica beans by ourselves. Afterwards we were also shown how to brew coffee manual by using filters. Although this way of preparing coffee seems to be more elaborate, it tastes much better than the machine version in my opinion, as the aroma has more time to develop.

At Nossa Senhora Aparecida sheep, cattle, horses, poultry and dogs are kept, too. 3 different sheep races are bred here, so dear sheep fans, even if you don't like coffe, you will have at least one reason to come.

Today, on the 8th of July, we got a phantastic insight into the mechanical harvesting process. If you stood on top of a harvesting machine you would see that all the hills are covered by coffee plants. 

O'Coffee also cares for the conservation of biodiversity. Rare animals spotted on the farms are put on a list continuously mentioning the exact time and place they are seen. With this information the company champions their habitat and welfare.

 I have to admit that it's a bit difficult to understand everyone, as I began learning portuguese in the end of 2013, but the best way to improve your language skills is travelling to the country speaking this language and get used to its sound. Everybody is so nice here, I really appreciate your help and explanations, muito obrigada.

Just in time for my stay, the Seleção is playing against the German national soccer team. I'm sure it will be an exciting game for both teams. Although the Brazilian players improved, I hope Germany will win, go! (desculpe, gente. Não me odeie!)

 

 

See you soon!

 

Por Pedro Sepini 
23/05/2014 


Iniciando os trabalhos, Show!

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Por Elisa Lambert
07/07/2014
Official Blog: http://addyeastside.wix.com/addyincoffeeland

Tomorrow I will travel to Pedregulho, located in the Brazilian federal state Sao Paulo, to do an internship at one of the biggest coffee producers in Brazil named O'Coffee. I will get to know the different steps of the entire coffee production. I guess it sounds strange, but I have to admit I already miss everything before I'm going to be there :D Means at the moment I wish I could stay there as long as possible... 

I hope I'll be able to provide you with as much informations and photos as possible. If you have specific questions, please comment or send me a message to addyeastside@yahoo.com.

Até logo!

Por Steinarr Ólafsson 
23/05/2014
Official Blog: http://steinarro.wordpress.com/


A coffee farm in the middle of nowhere in Brazil isn’t that much different from any other place I’ve been to in my short life. There is of course a little cultural difference, but on a day to day basis it’s the same. The people here wake up, go to work and then return home to their families. Pretty much the same as my parents have done all their life in Iceland.
My days here are normal, I wake up, go to work and return home. But every now and then something different happens to stir up my daily routine.

Two weeks ago the farm had visitors, three Japanese men on a mission throughout Latin America to buy raw coffee. Three generations of men (not related though) walked into the room where we had prepared samples of the 20 different types of coffee the farm has to offer. When they entered, there was a short awkward moment of greeting before they silently started to suck the coffee intensively out of a spoon whilst writing down notes about the coffee. This was my first time observing official green bean buying, and to be honest, I felt nervous being in a silent room with experienced men with nothing but the slurping sound from them in the air. Thankfully the atmosphere quickly became more relaxed and all of us started slurping together.