Nossa Familia Coffee :: News

October Newsletter

2009-10-12T11:41:00.000-07:00

Our monthly newsletter is out. Read it here.

Featured Coffee of the Month - Mathilde's French Roast

2009-10-12T09:11:00.000-07:00

As the leaves change color and the mornings become crisper, nothing warms the soul quite like our take on a French Roast. Named for our great-grandmother Mathilde who drank our strong coffee until she was 103, this dark roast makes a tremendous drip coffee or an incredibly bold yet smooth French Press.

Through the end of October, Mathilde's French Roast is on sale for just $9 per 12oz bag or $23 for a 2lb bag.

Try Mathilde's French Roast >>

Gift Sets for Any Occasion

2009-10-01T15:42:00.000-07:00

As we enter into the holiday season, we've put together several gift sets combining our award-winning coffee, porcelain mugs and t-shirts.

Find yourself a gift >>

New Tee Designs for Fall

2009-09-28T13:07:00.000-07:00

Made of 100% fine jersey cotton, these timeless American Apparel t-shirts are comfortable and stylish.

Check out the new designs >>

Porcelain Cups Now Available

2009-09-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

We just received our finely crated porcelain cups that look just as good in a cafe as they do at home. Available in 4oz, 12oz and 16oz sizes for however you drink your coffee >>

T-Shirt Mock-ups

2009-08-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

It's time for some new Nossa Familia t-shirts and we're looking for your input. We've posted some mock-ups with different shirts and designs. We'll probably print several different types but wanted to get your feedback so please share your thoughts with us. And no, we didn't hire the models.

Brown Icon:

Brown Shoulder:

Green Icon:

Green Shoulder:

Grey Icon:

Grey w/ Red Icon:

Grey Shoulder:

Light Grey Shoulder:

A New Look & Feel on the Web

2009-06-29T14:56:00.000-07:00

Nossa Familia has a new look and feel on the Web! Having recently completed an overhaul and redesign of our website, we would like your feedback. The goal of this redesign is to make it more convenient for you to navigate, find the information you want, and purchase our products. Please let us know where we've gotten it right as well as where there's room for improvement in the comments section below.

Nossa Familia Now Available at New Seasons Raleigh Hills

2009-06-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

Expanding our relationship with New Seasons markets, Nossa Familia's coffee is now available at the Raleigh Hills New Seasons store! You can visit the store at 7300 SW Beaverton-Hillsdale Hwy in Portland. Find a store close to you that carries Nossa Familia.

Cycle Oregon 2008 Video

2009-06-26T10:13:00.000-07:00

Our dear friend Randy Wakerlin, who tirelessly helped out on last years Cycle Oregon, just completed a quick video documenting our experience.

Catholic Sentinel

2009-05-21T09:46:00.000-07:00

Got a nice little write-up in the Catholic Sentinel. Read the article in its entirety here.

May Newsletter

2009-05-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Just sent out the May Newsletter. Learn it all here.

How To Brew French Press

2009-05-06T10:09:00.000-07:00

We probably have 20 different ways to make a cup of coffee here in our warehouse: espresso machines, coffee brewers that brew from the top, vacuum pots that brew the bottom. And while every method offers something nuanced and different, if we had to pick one method for brewing, it would have to be the press pot.

There is something beautiful in its simplicity. Executed properly, a cup of press-pot coffee should impress any coffee lover. Continue reading>>

How To Make Iced Coffee

2009-05-05T10:05:00.000-07:00

In Portuguese, Cachoeira (kuh-SHWAY-duh) means “waterfall.” Nossa Familia’s original farm, Fazenda Cachoeira, derives its name from the waterfall discovered by our grandparents.

In the sultry, mountainous region surrounding Fazenda Cachoeira, summer days can be unforgiving. Moments of rest and rejuvenation are precious, and the waterfall provides relief and refreshment from the equatorial summer.

This iced coffee drink is a tribute to those waterfall moments. Those carefree moments of reflection before the next wave of work. Like Brazil, the Cachoeira is a rich combination of origins with a nose reminiscent of the Portuguese spice trade.

Continue reading here>>

March Newsletter

2009-03-20T11:29:00.000-07:00

In honor of the Vernal Equinox - here's our most recent newsletter.

February Newsletter

2009-02-24T16:31:00.000-08:00

Learn about Carnival, our donations and our newest employee in our February Newsletter.

A Brazilian in Winter

2008-02-13T12:13:00.000-08:00

Augusto is heading south, taking his family to the warmer climes of Brazil. When asked about the trip, he insists this year's crop needs inspection, and that every bean deserves a careful look. That's how he's explaining his month-long "business" trip to Brazil. But we know he's homesick for family and the Brazilian sun.

Traveling with children requires solid preparation and often some coaxing, as little ones aren't always cooperative travelers. Augusto's son Adriano, however, is a born globetrotter. As soon as his passport photo was snapped, he began asking, "Can we go to Brazil now?" A few months later, the answer is finally yes.

"We’ll be flying into Sao Paulo, and meeting my parents there for the 3 hour drive to the farm, and I can already taste and feel the hot air filling up my lungs as we arrive in Brazil. The arrival in the farm is always special, all the familiar sights and sounds of my childhood, and the re-meeting of family; my grandparents and all my aunts and uncles. One of the most special things about going home to the farm nowadays is that I get to share all that richness in culture with my kids, who just soak it up and have loads of fun at the farm, just like I did and still do.

"I’ll be taking Camila and Adriano Horseback riding for the first time, and this is the first time much of my family will meet Giovani, our youngest who just turned one. And of course I’ll be doing lots of work, like mountain biking through the coffee plants to inspect this years crop, drinking copious amounts of fresh coffee to perfect my ‘cupping’ skills, and drinking beers with my cousins and uncles who run the farm to improve our ‘business’ relationship. :)

"After 2 weeks at the farm we head to Rio, and spend the remainder of the time at my parents home. Life in Rio is rough, my parents have a little pool at their house, but Ipanema beach is only 15 minutes away, so how can one decide what to do?!? Rio has some amazing forests and great trails for hiking and biking. The photo on the newsletter was taken a year ago, when I was mt.biking with my brother. That Hill is about 3 miles long with 1,500 ft of elevation gain, and the view is breathtaking. This portion of the trip is important for the business as it refreshes my Brazilian accent and helps maintain Nossa Familia Coffee truly genuine. Ok, ok, life is not all business. I just look forward to being recharged in Brazil and coming back full of energy for an exciting year ahead!

"Stay in Touch and stay posted for photos."

$15,000 in Donations to Local Charities

2007-12-19T13:50:00.000-08:00

Over the Thanksgiving Weekend we sat down to start totaling all the money we raised for charity and start writing checks. As you know, we donate at least $.50 per lb of coffee sold to local charities and organizations. Every time we sell coffee we figure out the individual donation.

It gave us great pleasure to write check after check to all our friends who are doing great work to make this a better world. And as we grow, so do our donations. The most exciting news is that we raised 4 times the amount of money in November as we did in January!

These donations are only possible because of all of you who support us. Here is a glimpse of what happens with the money:

Water for People - will bring water to a remote village in Africa.

Community Cycling Center - will continue to bring bikes and education to underprivileged kids and adults.

Engineers Without Borders - will be able to bring electricity to a remote village in Central America.

Pangaea Project - will educate teens in Social Justice issues and provide a once in a lifetime travel abroad opportunity to inner-city teens.

Bicycle Transportation Alliance - will continue to make Portland and Oregon a safer place for cyclists and help reduce traffic congestion and pollution.

The Magdalene Home - will provide support for new single mothers who need it most.

World Vision - we are sponsoring a child in Brazil and we aim to add more kids every year.

University of Portland - funding an annual scholarship to a Senior who has demonstrated a desire to give back to their community not only while at college but also upon graduation.

Can we make this a better world? We sure think so! We're only in our second full year of operation and as we grow we hope to touch more and more lives. It's amazing what a pound of coffee can do. Thank you for all your support!

We Bought A Van

2007-08-02T22:42:00.000-07:00

We did it. Kind of scary. Like moving in with your girlfriend or buying your first home. This is our first company vehicle and we're pretty excited. We do paperwork and all that stuff tomorrow and should have some photos by the end of the weekend. We could tell you all the juicy details about what it is, why it's so cute, and what we'll name her but we'll make you wait until we get the keys in our hands.

Stay tuned...

Now at New Seasons Market

2007-06-05T16:08:00.000-07:00

We are proud to announce that by the end of this week, our coffee will be available at New Seasons Markets in and around the Portland Metro area!

New Seasons is committed to purchasing responsibly grown products and working with local companies. The focus and dedication to quality and community made it a perfect fit.

All five roasts will be carried in whole bean along with several pre-ground roasts. Find which New Seasons is closest to you and let them know how excited you are for them to carry us (available at every New Seasons except Sellwood and Raleigh Hills).

If you've never tried our coffee before, or just like free samples, make sure to swing by your local New Seasons Friday, June 15th as they will be showcasing photos from the farm and pouring some free cups!

A Ton of Coffee Ain't Nothing

2007-05-08T15:21:00.000-07:00

A ton of coffee weighs 2,240 pounds. We moved that nearly 16 times over yesterday morning - 35,000 pounds! We brought in our first full container of coffee and unloaded it yesterday morning. It was a big step for us as we continue to grow and won't be the last. In the past we used to bring in partial shipments and 1 or 2 palets at a time. Not anymore.

With the help of our good friend Chris McBride, we unloaded each 132 lb burlap bag, stacked them 20 to a palet, and moved them into the roastery. We brought in several different types including a pulped, a pulped natural, some organic and some decaf. The FDA came by today to make sure we did in fact bring coffee. Once approved, it was released so that we can roast it up!

We won't have to do it again for a few months, thankfully. That should give us time to heel up. So while most of the hard work is done down at the farm in Brazil, every now and then we break a sweat here in Portland in helping get you the best coffee possible. Enjoy the pictures, have a laugh, and feel free to swing by next time we get a container - we'd love the help.

Delivery Van & French Fries

2007-05-04T23:02:00.000-07:00

You should have seen our "delivery van" this afternoon. We had 3 huge brewers and enough coffee for a small army loaded in there for a delivery to Intel's Jones Farm. It's becoming more and more evident that we need to graduate to the 'next level' and buy a real delivery vehicle.

So we're begining the process and have fallen in love with Sprinter Delivery vans. They drive great, have tons of space, run on diesel and get 25 mpg! We've got a little bit of time but we'll have one sooner or later. And its got us thinking...

We try to be responsible and sustainable in all that we do. We could run biodiesel in this van. Pretty cool. But what if we ran vegetable oil? That's about as sustainable as you can get (plus it smells like french fries). And since we're brainstorming ideas - what if we picked up the vegetable oil from our coffee clients when we dropped off coffee and processed it ourselves? That's even cooler!

Of course, some copy-cat/PR coffee company machine in town will read this and steal our idea, but oh well. It's not about the PR - it's about doing the right thing. And the way we see it, doing the right thing can be a whole lot of fun. Stay tuned and we'll keep you posted on our progress.

Coffee at the Beach

2007-05-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Augusto was at the downtown REI giving out samples of coffee and gearing up for Reach the Beach. The annual fundraiser for the American Lung Association is Saturday, May 19th. With five starting points, bikers can choose to venture anywhere from 26 to 110 miles.

No matter what you chose, you will end up at Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City. There you can enjoy your meal, a beer, and some great Nossa Familia Coffee. Check it out and we hope to see you there!

CBI = Farmer Brothers

2007-05-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

Just the other other day it was announced that Farmer Brothers Coffee out of California had purchased Coffee Bean International of Portland. If those names don't pop off the page with familiarity, that's okay. They don't have much in common with us. Farmer Brothers is that coffee you've seen at truck stops and diners where you feel like somebody should be paying YOU for drinking. CBI isn't exactly in the same market as Farmers Brothers but has a huge capacity and has found success in going after institutional business and private labeling.

Supposedly Farmers Brothers will be investing heavily in the Portland plant to increase capacity. Sounds good for the local economy, but do I want to drink the coffee?

Can't Sleep

2007-04-26T12:51:00.000-07:00

It was probably a combination of too much caffeine and too much good news but I could not sleep Tuesday night. The last week and a half have been a whirlwind of good news and success and I think it finally caught up to me. The previous week, we had our first meeting with a very large account (who will remain uknown at this time) that was quite promising. The scope and size of this is pretty incredible.

Last Friday we installed a bunch of brewing equipment and signage out at the Intel Jones Farm campus. Tuesday brought with it two more large contracts and a very successful meeting with a local grocer. Needless to say we're on a bit of a hitting streak.

And for whatever reason, I couldn't get it all out of my head. Which is why I woke up at 2:30am Wednesday morning...and never fell back asleep. The funny part of it? I had an email from Augusto at 3:30am. He had the exact same problem. The joys of success I guess. Sign up for our newsletter so that we can let you know who all of these 'mysterious accounts' are once it becomes public. It should be very soon!

Hopefully we'll have many more sleepless nights: either from the caffeine or the success.

We Stand With You

2007-04-17T22:08:00.000-07:00

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Virginia Tech and everybody affected by the tragedy.

Black Gold Movie Trailer

2007-04-14T10:57:00.001-07:00

This documentary is a must see for anyone who truly cares about their cup of coffee. Together with Utz Kapeh, Fair Trade and consumers, we can end the international coffee crisis but it begins with education and informed purchasing. www.blackgoldmovie.com

Giovani St.Onge Carneiro

2007-03-19T12:36:00.000-07:00

Baby Giovani St.Onge Carneiro was born on February 8th, at a healthy 8lbs and 4oz. to proud parents Augusto and Carissa.

Professional photos courtesy of www.sugarplumphoto.com, focusing on Black & White photos of newborns, families and pregnancies.

Baby Lesh Doing A Little Lounging

2007-03-19T12:01:00.000-07:00

Baby Lesh is due September 19th and it's proud parents Kerri and Jason can't wait. In the photos below, you can see the kid lounging around and cheering on the Ducks in the NCAA Tournament.

When Can We Ride?

2007-02-13T23:18:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday was the "Worst Day of the Year Ride" in Portland for all of those crazy bike people this town caters too. So we thought we'd help everybody brave the rain, and yes, crowds, by serving coffee and espresso drinks. We had a blast and I think the 1500 riders did too.

Packing up the van and warming up the espresso machine brought back some memories from just a few months ago. Cycle Oregon! And while it's only February and the ride doesn't start for another 7 months, we're already licking our chops and refining our barista skills.

This evening, the 20th Anniversary Cycle Oregon Route was announced at the Tiger Woods Center and what a route it is! Welcome to the Cascades Backroads. It's looks like one of the best routes ever and we can't wait to be a part of it. So check it out and make sure you register early as the ride is capped (and if you want that tent & porter service, then get moving).

Now if only we could train some folks to make latte's at 5am then we could ride the whole thing this year. Note to self...

From Brazil to The Cove: Alumni turn faith into action

2007-02-09T09:54:00.000-08:00

Just yesterday, the Director of the Office of Volunteer Services at the University of Portland wrote a nice little story about Nossa Familia Coffee and our involvement with our alma mater in yesterdays campus newspaper.

UP is a great account for us in so many ways. Obviously, we love the fact that so many people are being exposed to the coffee and brand on a daily basis. It's served in the main dining hall, the cafe in the student union, staff dining room, at the sporting venues and at two espresso stands. As a result, we donate back $.50 per lb to a scholarship at the school that will begin in the fall of 2007. More importantly though, being on campus allows us the opportunity to educate the end consumer on the importance of drinking sustainable coffee from a responsible company.

Life & Nossa Familia Coffee

2007-02-08T22:33:00.000-08:00

Great outlook on life...that just so happens to involve coffee. :)

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups - porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite - telling them to help themselves to the coffee.

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: "If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. Be assured that the cup itself adds no quality to the coffee. In most cases it is just more expensive and in some cases even hides what we drink. What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups... And then you began eyeing each other's cups.

"Now consider this: Life is the coffee; the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, and the type of cup we have does not define, nor change the quality of Life we live.

"Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee God has provided us."

"God brews the coffee, not the cups...Enjoy your coffee!"

"The happiest people don't have the best of everything. They just make the best of everything.

Great Testimonial

2007-02-05T17:13:00.000-08:00

Got a great testimonial today from a food buyer where our coffee is sold at:

Hi -- I just want to tell you how much we love your coffee. My husband and I live here in Portland and of course, like most Portlanders, we are snobs about our coffee. We were fairly convinced that Stumptown was the best there could be -- and we do still enjoy it -- but last week I brought home Teodoro's Roast for my husband to try (I work at [market name removed] and we sell your coffee) and he was in awe! He thinks it's the best coffee he's ever had. I am not sure what it is that you do differently but this is just such great coffee. Thank you very much!

Suzi

Caffeinating the Airwaves

2006-12-13T16:19:00.000-08:00

Everyday brings a new challenge and a new opportunity. Some days find us in the warehouse, and days like yesterday find us in the recording studio. Beginning tomorrow, we will be running a radio commercial on 620 KPOJ. Having never done this before, it was a bit of an adventure. We wrote the copy, refined the copy, changed the message, and then stuck Augusto in front of the microphone yesterday. It's a 30 second spot and will be airing every morning between 6-9am.

Cup of Excellence Update

2006-12-11T12:45:00.000-08:00

It's December which means that the annual Brazil Cup of Excellence Competition is wrapping up. The Cup of Excellence competition has been held in Brazil since 1999. All coffee farmers, large and small are invited to submit their best coffee samples. Each coffee goes through a very rigorous blind tasting, first by a national jury, and then a jury of international experts. In recent years over 1000 farmers have submitted their coffees, so it truly is a huge competition.

Since it's inception, our family has routinely been one of the finalists (top 30) - a feat unmatched by any other family. We actually won the Cup of Excellence in 2004, and while we didn't win it this year, Fazenda Cachoeira placed 16th!

What is even more impressive is how the samples from Fazenda Cachoeira are gathered. Most farmers selectively harvest coffee cherries, placing only the best-of-the-best in a separate lot to submit for competition. Our Uncle Gabriel harvests the cherries in the usual manner. He then samples all of the different lots from the farm and selects the best lot to submit for competition.

This difference may sound insignificant, but this is hardly the case. Gabriel believes that by refusing to selectively harvest, the samples and your placement in competitions reflect the quality and consistency of your coffee - not your ability to pick the perfectly ripe coffee bean. It is for this reason that our family has placed so well and done it on a consistent basis. Some in our family would probably consider this practice stubborn - but we agree with it and feel that it provides an honest testament to the quality of coffee we grow.

Wednesday Deliveries to Markets

2006-12-11T11:05:00.000-08:00

So a couple days ago I loaded up the van with all our wonderful Brazilian coffee varieties and headed on a route to a bunch of the markets that carry our coffee. It takes a while to get around Portland but it was rewarding to see that our coffee is moving off the shelves and needs constant re-stocking.

You learn lots when you start a business, but the grocery scene was a surprise to me. I expected they would call us to order coffee, we’d deliver it to the back somewhere and they’d stock up the shelves… Ah, only if it was that easy. No, instead we are the ones that have to keep a close track, visiting the stores regularly, taking inventory, and stocking the shelves our selves. And while it's a lot of work, it's also very rewarding to see the demand for our coffee grow!

Nossa Familia going Postal!

2006-12-07T21:53:00.000-08:00

How many times has the postman handed you a $20 when delivering your mail?!? Well, funny thing is it happens every couple months at Nossa Familia Coffee!

The postman stops by everyday with mail and to pick up the online coffee orders of the day. So one day we offered him some samples and he has been hooked ever since! So one day I said hello and a thank you for his hard work, when he pulls out his wallet hands me a $20 and says, what will this buy? So the next day when he picked up the packages there was special one for him.

Typical Tuesday

2006-11-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

Some times we dress up in nice clothes and go to important meetings and negotiate big contracts over expensive meals. Other times we wear dirty clothes, hats, rent uHaul trucks and actually work. That was today. We had the 'pleasure' of moving 30 bags of green beans across town this morning.

Each burlap bag contains 132lbs of unroasted coffee (green coffee) and they aren't exactly easy to deal with. The fact that we don't own a truck capable of transporting them is nice too (note sarcasm). The Eurovan just can't manage 4,000 lbs of cargo. Long story short: we did it, we'll be sore tomorrow, and the coffee will taste good.

November business has been picking up quite nicely and we're readying ourselves for a couple of crazy months. Because of that, our inventory in the warehouse is growing. Keeping it organized hasn't been a priority until today so after moving green beans in the morning, we decided to do a little spring cleaning. And you thought this was a glamorous profession. :)

Inside Intel

2006-11-14T09:07:00.000-08:00

We got our foot in the door! Had a great meeting yesterday evening and Bon Appetit at Intel's Jones Farm will begin serving our coffee starting this Thursday. Augusto and Jason will be out there doing samplings and helping kick it off. We're very excited about this as Bon Appetit and Nossa Familia have a lot in common. It's a perfect marriage and we're hoping Intel's employees will enjoy the coffee!

2006-11-10T03:34:00.000-08:00

Definitely check out the fully automatic machines - they do
everything from grind your coffee beans to dispose of the espresso
puck. They start at $399. So while you're tracking tonight's
election coverage or snoozing away in bed - take solace in the fact
that you will have plenty of espresso machine options to browse for
gifts come the morning.

West Linn Market of Choice to Carry Us

2006-11-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

Augusto had a great meeting this morning down at the West Linn Market of Choice. Brand new and just opened, they agreed to carry our full line of coffees and gave us great placement. They will be having a Store Opening Party this coming Saturday morning and we'll be there with samples, pictures from the farm, and our charming smiles. Drop by, say hi, and check out the new store - it's really nice! It is located at 5639 Hood St., West Linn.

Up Late Working

2006-11-07T22:52:00.000-08:00

Is it really almost Thanksgiving? Whatever happened to August, let alone September and October. So we're already gearing up for the holidays. Part of this process means updating our website and particularly our store. We've been trying out quite a few espresso machines as of late and are now offering 10 different machines in varying prices, styles, and abilities. See Jason's and Augusto's personal machines.

Definitely check out the fully automatic machines - they do everything from grind your coffee beans to dispose of the espresso puck. They start at $399. So while you're tracking tonight's election coverage or snoozing away in bed - take solace in the fact that you will have plenty of espresso machine options to browse for gifts come the morning.

Cycle Oregon 2006 Video

2006-10-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

A recap of our experience at Cycle Oregon 2006.

At Mississippi Pub Tonight

2006-03-23T08:13:00.000-08:00

The Nossa Familia crew will be at the Mississippi Pizza Pub tonight to kick-off our new partnership with Portland Habitat for Humanity. It's new to us and we're not sure where it will take us, but tonight we'll be handing out samples, selling coffee, and donating $3 per lb to Women Build - something a good friend of ours is heavily involved in.

So check us out - we hope to see you there (we'll also be unveiling our new credit card processor at the event - so exciting).

How Much Would You Pay

2006-03-07T10:29:00.000-08:00

In the near future, we will be selling our coffee at quite a few markets around the Portland area. The question is - what should we sell our coffee for at these stores? As I'm sure you're aware, most coffee is sold in 12oz bags - not our current 1lb (16oz). Prices vary from store to store and from one part of town to the other - what would you expect to see from us? We will eventually be switching over to 12oz as this is what people are most use to so this is what we are primarily concerned with.

What would you pay if you had never heard of us and what would it take to get you to switch? Judging by our new look, who do you see us being compared to? Having tasted the coffee and quality - who do we compete with? Obviously, we've put quite a bit of time into this and any extra thoughts would be greatly appreciated.

Design This

2006-02-27T20:03:00.000-08:00

After ages and ages, I think we're finally approaching the end of our label design exercise. It's been a learning experience for all of us involved in the process but I think we're nearing the end. One of our ongoing conversations as a start-up has been what are we truly selling. We have great coffee but what story do we tell? Is it the award winning coffee? The fact that it is from Brazil? The direct link to the farm? The sustainable practices behind each cup? Our involvement with charities and non-profits?

Obviously you can't say everything in a logo or on the front of a label hence the discussion. But we think we've got it. The impetus for this is the fact that we want to sell our coffee in high-end retail locations, ie. New Seasons, Wizers, Stroheckers, etc. We're picking up new accounts but we need to find a way to communicate our story effectively without actually being there in person. So anyways, here is the latest draft of our new label.

The artwork is by Augusto's uncle Teodoro and depicts the farm with the coffee plant in the foreground, the typical white houses in the middle, and the sun (which also strongly resembles a bicycle wheel). We hope you like it. We will also be renaming the individual roasts after fitting family members in the coming months. Some of this you can already see. Ernesto's Family Roast, Teodoro's Italian Roast, Mathilda's French Roast. Let us know what you think as we would love your input.

Within the next week or so we should be ordering up the labels and ready to start using them come the first of April. Big step for us. We'll keep you posted as things progress.

The First Post

2005-12-15T13:16:00.000-08:00

We're blogging. Not really sure what to 'blog' about. Maybe its to share what is happening on the farm. Maybe what makes good coffee. Maybe about the sweat that goes into starting up a responsible coffee empire. We'll see and hopefully you'll guide us in the right direction.

The last couple weeks at Nossa Familia have been crazy. I guess when the momentum gathers you just have to hop on board. Holiday sales have been great! People are buying coffee subscriptions, espresso machines, espresso pods (greatest invention ever), and trying our new Family Roast. Combine all of that with trying to squeeze in as many special events as possible and we're ready for Christmas.

Last week was our entrance into the world of retail. Global Exchange on Hawthorne just began carrying our coffee and we poured some samples and showed pictures of the farm on Saturday. Very exciting for us. This week has us starting to map out the next 6 months and hammer out our schedule for January.

Let us know what you think of the coffee, the business, this blog and anything else that comes to mind. Enjoy and happy holidays (well, Merry Christmas, Happy Chanukah, and have a great Kwanza).