Grão Especial interviewed, exclusively, the Frenchman, Hippolyte Courty, founder of L’Arbre à Café, who will present a lecture at Rio Coffee Nation this weekend. Check it out!
The theme of Hippolyte Courty’s lecture at Rio Coffee Nation will be Zero carbon in coffee and sustainable learning with wines Hippolyte is an expert in coffee. He is the founder of L’Arbre à Café and a quality and biodynamic consultant. He was a trainer of tastings, agent of wineries, creator of the first cellar of natural wines in Hong Kong. In 2008, he created his company with the objective of offering high quality coffees to the world of gastronomy. Currently, the name is one of the greatest authorities when it comes to organic and biodynamic specialty coffees purchased directly from the producers, according to an approach inspired by wine and terroir. Hippolyte is also the author of two books on coffee: Coffee and The 101 Words of Coffee and writes articles for specialized magazines.
Hippolyte Courty
Check out our interview:
Grão Especial – First of all, I would like to sympathize with the cruel murder of the professor of history and geography, Samuel Paty, which took place on the 20th. You, who were also a teacher…
Hippolyte Courty – Yes, that was really awful. I even taught history and geography, like him! I taught for three years at the university and five years in high school, and I have many friends from that time. If the course of my life hadn’t changed professionally, it could have been me. Too bad!
Grão Especial – And you were also a food critic, right?
Hippolyte Courty – Yes, I worked as a food critic for a long time, but now, I stopped, for an ethical reason. I cannot be critical and also be a coffee shop/restaurant owner. The two things together cannot be exercised at the same time.
Grão Especial – Do you also have an extensive experience in the world of wines?
Hippolyte Courty – Yes, I worked for more than 20 years in the wine industry.
Grão Especial – And is this where your interest in the world of specialty coffees comes from?
Hippolyte Courty – Yes, so to say. Due to my work, I realized over time that the best wines came from the best terroirs, the best grapes and, mainly, from the best farmers. And, when I opened my coffee business, I thought it would be a good idea to look for the same things: the best producers, who practiced organic farming, the best terroirs, the best climates, and that’s how I did it. Just to mention a classic example from the world of wines, the best of them are produced thanks to organic agriculture. Of the 100 best wines in the world, 50 are organic. Take, for example, Romanée-Conti, one of the most famous wines in the world, its vineyards are maintained according to the precepts of biodynamics and minimum intervention, respecting the soil, its balance and the philosophy that the role of the wine maker is to portray and translate the quality of the terroir as faithfully as possible. I believe that the same thing is translated into an excellent coffee.
Grão Especial – And you were also responsible for introducing specialty coffees in the best restaurants in Paris, correct?
Hippolyte Courty – In some of them, like Saturne, L Ámi Jean, Lasserre, Thierry Marx.
Grão Especial – What is the characteristic of the coffees served in its coffee shops in Paris?
Hippolyte Courty – Since 2009, when I created the company, I seek worldwide the best coffees produced by the agroforestry system, biodynamic and natural. And we are adept at Carbon Free, the carbon free footprint.
Grão Especial – I read in an interview with you that your favorite coffee in the world is produced in India, through Vedic agriculture, from Tamil Nadu.
Hippolyte Courty – I don’t like these definitions at all. It is not my favorite coffee, because the coffees vary a lot, with each harvest. I don’t have one that I like best. But I do appreciate the way my Indian friends produce this coffee, as they are wonderful farmers, and their terroir is exceptional.
Grão Especial – You have been working for some time with the Brazilian coffees on the Camocim farm, right
Hippolyte Courty – Yes, I have been working with Henrique Sloper since 2010, from Fazenda Camocim, Jacu Bird, produced in Espírito Santo. As soon as I heard about the existence of this coffee, I came to Brazil to negotiate directly with the producer, which is how we operate, via direct trade. Currently, we are also working with Iapar Rouge, from the same farm.
Grão Especial – I realized that in the market of L’Arbre de Café, many Brazilian coffees are not sold. Any reason for that?
Hippolyte Courty – We do have some, like Daterra’s, among others. The problem is that, in general, biodynamic coffee, from the agroforestry in Brazil, is very expensive when compared to those produced in other parts of the world. And often, in the cup, it does not perform as well. And, as I have no import restrictions, I have wonderful coffees from all corners of the world at my fingertips. In my view, Brazil has made a clear choice for high productivity, using advanced technologies, but which, in my opinion, are not sustainable in the long term – and the farmers know it.
Grão Especial – Do you also produce coffee?
Hippolyte Courty – Yes, we have a property in Peru, one of the countries with the largest number of agroforestry coffee producers.
Grão Especial – In a year as troubled as 2020, with the pandemic, lockdown and everything, you managed to open a new cafeteria, correct?
Hippolyte Courty – Yes, this year has been crazy, 2020 has been a very difficult year. In addition to all the challenges, I am facing one more now. I’m at home, I tested positive for coronavirus, but I’m fine. But it is a fact: we managed to open a new address, in the middle of all this mess. I believe we got it thanks to the work we’ve been doing, always in search of the best coffees. But it is not being easy, especially at a time when people are forced to stay at home.
Grão Especial – In your opinion, what are the major challenges to be faced by the specialty coffee market?
Hippolyte Courty – In general, I believe that soon, after the Pandemic fades away and people get vaccinated, the consumption of specialty coffees will return to the same levels as before. It’s only a matter of time. My biggest concern is another one. Small producers are getting paid less and less for their work, they are getting old and their children do not want to continue working with coffee. What if they are unable to pay their commitments? Besides, we have global warming. In other words, the business must be sustainable from a financial and ecological point of view. Part of my job and my responsibility is to help reverse this situation. We need to seek to develop other business models that are sustainable and ensure that the coffee business is profitable, especially for small producers.
Grão Especial – What type of coffee does the French like to drink the most?
Hippolyte Courty – In general, the French love the sweetest coffees, not acid ones, and they do not appreciate very fermented coffees. Brazilians are quite appreciated here.
Grão Especial – In a normal year, without a pandemic, how many times do you visit producers around the world?
Hippolyte Courty – Generally, eight times a year. But in 2020, I didn’t leave France and I can’t wait for things to get back to normal.
Service:
L Árbre à Café – a store that imports, roasts and sells small batches of specialty organic, biodynamic and agroforestry coffee from small producers around the world.
Addresses: 10 rue du Nil 75002
61 rue Oberkampf, 75011 – both in Paris
