The Cooperative Specialty Coffees are the first Slow Food items in Brazil
Cooperbio, a Cooperative of Organic and Biodynamic Producers of Chapada Diamantina in Bahia, headed by Brígida Salgado, has just closed a partnership with the movement and non-governmental organization, Slow Food. Founded in Italy in 1986 by Carlo Petrini, Slow Food aims to promote greater appreciation of food, improve the quality of meals and enhance a production that values the agricultural products, producers and the environment.
Os cafés da Cooperbio são os primeiros certificados pelo movimento Slow Food no Brasil
Cooperbio comprises the municipalities of Abaira, Bonito, Ibicoara, Piatã, Rio das Contas and Seabra, in Chapada Diamantina. It has 17 cooperatives, all small family owned organic and biodynamic specialty coffee producers in the region. “It is what we call a micro-cooperative, with only 17 members, but it has a very well-defined philosophy”, says Brígida Salgado. “What matters is that production has to be agroecological and family-based”, she adds.
Jovens da Cooperbio são treinados, em parceria com a Wolf Cafés para trabalharem na prova e na torra dos cafés produzidos por seus familiares
The vast majority of sites are located between an altitude of 1000 to 1400 meters, and the climate is ideal for the production of specialty coffees. From Piatã, there have already been several champions of the Cup of Excellence, an international quality championship for specialty coffees.”
Brígida Salgado, presidente da Cooperbio
Ten years ago, when we started Cooperbio, the idea was precisely to value the coffee, the producer and shorten the distance between the buyers, whether they be Brazilian or foreign,” explains Brígida. Now the challenges are different: today, the region has very good human capital, which can produce excellent coffee, but the productivity is still very low.
Fotos e vídeos: Clodoir de Oliveira
