25 years of Sancoffee: a journey beyond my imagination

If someone had told me in the late 1990s that I’d be writing this 25 years later, I’m not sure I would have believed them. 

Back then, I was a young coffee grower with just 25 hectares and a big question on my mind: how could producers like me — small and mid-sized farms — access the international market in a meaningful way? 

At the time, I was involved with the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association. I was also learning from people like Mr. Fernando Paiva and his daughter Miriam, who were already exporting directly from Fazenda Cachoeira. They inspired me. But they were large producers. I remember thinking, Could I manage to do something to export my coffee? 

That’s when an idea started to form. What if I didn’t have to do it alone? What if we could join forces, create scale, and export together with other producers like me — without giving up quality or identity? 

That was the seed that became Sancoffee. 

We officially started in 2000, taking over a warehouse from Mr. Paiva, and organizing a group of producers from Santo Antônio do Amparo and nearby communities. We selected our best lots, built relationships abroad, and shipped them out. It was humble. It was hopeful. And it was the beginning of something much bigger than I could have imagined. 

From day one, we believed specialty coffee could create real value — not just economic, but human. It could bring recognition, connection, and dignity to producers like us. And that belief shaped every decision we made. 

I spent many years traveling, meeting buyers, and telling our story. Slowly, trust was built. Coffees were tasted. Relationships took root. And over time, Sancoffee grew — not just in volume, but in purpose. 

In the early 2000s, we began evolving our post-harvest practices. We took a closer look at how we treated our workers, our communities, and our environment. And then in 2014, we reached another turning point: we partnered with an association of smallholder producers. That’s when I truly saw the potential of this model to scale impact — to bring positive change beyond our own farms. 

Looking back now, it’s clear that Sancoffee became more than just a platform for trade. It became a vehicle for transformation. 

What fills me with pride today isn’t just what we’ve exported — it’s how we’ve grown. We’ve seen producers shift to more sustainable practices. We’ve watched communities gain strength. We’ve helped make coffee a more viable future for the next generation. 

And that’s what excites me most now. 

The next dream isn’t mine alone. It belongs to the young people coming up, the families building their future in coffee, the partners who share our values. My hope is that everything we’ve done so far becomes a foundation they can stand on — to go further, do more, and create even greater impact. 

Thank you for being part of this journey. The next 25 years are just beginning.