A project entitled, “Brazil. The Coffee Nation,” aims to create a world-wide identity for the country’s specialty coffees in order to increase penetration in foreign markets, particularly in Asian countries, notably China, according to official information.
The project has now been renewed for two more years under an agreement signed in São Paulo between the Brazilian Agency for the Promotion of Exports and Investments (Apex-Brasil) and the Brazilian Association of Special Coffees (BSCA), trade publication Noticias Agrícolas reported.
The project focuses on the commercial promotion of Brazilian specialty coffees in foreign markets and on strengthening the image of national products around the world, positioning Brazil as a high-quality supplier.
The Brazilian production of specialty coffees has grown by an average of 15% per year, reaching 8.5 million bags in 2017, with production of all types of the product reaching 44.77 million 60 kg bags each that year.
BSCA’s director, Vanusia Nogueira, said that for exports the result is even more significant, with a record increase of 600% in revenue from specialty coffee shipments since the project began, which in 2017 totalled US$2 billion from the sale of 7.7 million bags.
“The number of export destination countries more than doubled from 40 in 2012 to 93 in 2017, and the number of companies supported increased from 123 in 2012 to 170 in 2017,” said the director of BSCA.
The president of Apex-Brasil, Ambassador Roberto Jaguaribe, stressed that it is vital to establish the “Brazil origin” in the world.
“What is fundamental is finally establishing a Brazilian symbol, as Brazil has dominated the world coffee market for 200 years, but it does not have its own established identity,” he said.
The ambassador also said the country needed to pay particular attention to newer markets to increase the penetration of specialty coffees as well as the Brazil origin, given that traditional markets such as the United States and Europe continue to expand, albeit at a lower rate.
In this regard, the ambassador said that China’s first International Import Fair, due to be held at the Shanghai National Convention and Exhibition Center from 5 to 10 November 2018, has become an important target within the BSCA project with Apex-Brasil.
The “Brazil. The Coffee Nation,” project, in addition to the specific focus on Asian markets, mainly China, also targets Germany, Australia, Canada, the United States, Italy, Norway, New Zealand, Poland, the United Kingdom, Russia, Taiwan and Turkey. for specialty coffees and Argentina and the United States for roasting and milling industry products.
