Ipanema Coffees specialty coffee exports surpass 1.9 million bags

March, 6, São Paulo – Pioneer in Brazil in specialty coffee export, Ipanema Coffees celebrates 25 years of external market presence, taking the highest quality coffees to 25 countries, and summing up, at the end of 2016, more than 1.9 million bags (each bag weighs 132 pounds/60 kg) exported from their three farms located in the cities of Alfenas and Conceição do Rio Verde, in the south of the state of Minas Gerais, totalizing a plantation of 14 million coffee trees. Based on innovation processes which result in consistent production and trade, Ipanema has developed long-term relationships with their customers, increasingly achieving markets in Europe and the United States, Australia, Russia, Japan, South Korea, among others.

Among the export companies of the Brazilian agribusiness sector, Ipanema has been a remarkable company. For instance, in the last edition of the Agribusiness Annual Book, published in October by Globo Rural magazine, the most influential agribusiness magazine in Brazil, Ipanema was ranked 5th among the best in the industry in the “external market” category, being only behind major companies such as Seara, Cooxupé, Copersucar, and Noble. “This recognition, of course, is not a matter of size”, says Washington Rodrigues, Ipanema Coffees CEO. “Since the beginning of our exports, we have invested in the tailor made concept, applied not only to our products, but also to our processes, which means managing each step of the production, from harvest through transportation, to always ensure an exclusive delivery of high quality coffee to each client”, emphasizes Rodrigues. The company surpassed the mark of 100,000 bags of specialty coffees exported in the year of 2016.

The operational excellence from the soil handling process and water production through the coffee delivery makes Ipanema coffee successful also in store chains such as Bauducco, in Brazil, and Nespresso and Lawson, among others, in the international market. Lawson, in Japan, is among the three largest convenience store chains in the country. The intent of offering consumers a fresh coffee, brewed on time, started in 2011 with a test in a hundred stores. It was quickly accepted and the excellent result of the blend exclusively created for Lawson allows Ipanema to celebrate today the expressive mark of its presence in 12,000 stores all over Japan. At Christmas 2016, the chain launched for the fourth consecutive time a special edition gift with the Ipanema Yellow Bourbon stamp.

The special flavor of Ipanema coffee has been attracting not only the Asians’ taste. This year, in the United States, the special edition Ipanema Reserve Brazilian was launched by the American chain Circle K in their more than 7,000 stores all over the country.

Buyers from several countries always visit Ipanema headquarters located on Conquista Farm, occupying the Tasting Room to taste their specialty coffees. “The global specialty coffee market is the target of strong competition, and each achievement depends on the way things are handled, which includes countless variables, such as technology, diversity of products, processes, soil, altitude, balance related to the environment and, above all, a management technology that ensures a constant quality and the development of long-term relationship with customers. At Ipanema, it does not matter the quantity of coffee purchased, the customer will always be treated excellently”, says Rodrigues.

With a continuous innovation approach, Ipanema has been a pioneer at several fronts since its establishment in 1969. It is the first producer in the Brazilian specialty coffee market to segment blends. Their product line includes today Reserve, Bourbon, Ouro Preto, Gourmet, Espresso, Conquista, and Dulce.

The company was also a pioneer in the accomplishment of certifications, such as the one acquired in 1997 – it was the first Brazilian company to be considered a specialty coffee producer for the Italian market, with a CSC-Caffe Speciali certification. In 2002, it was also the first company to be certified by the EUREPGAP and UTZ Kapeh codes, global certifications related to the production of sustainable coffee. In 2003, it was the first South-American company to be certified by the Starbucks Preferred Suppliers Program (named later C.A.F.E. Practices), becoming a Starbucks strategic supplier. In 2004, after a rigorous audit process, conducted by Imaflora (The Institute of Agricultural and Forest Management and Certification), Ipanema became Rainforest Alliance Certified, a certification whose main purpose is to preserve and restore native forests, as well as protect and recover certified propriety headsprings and ciliary woods. The creation of green corridors between forest reserve areas allows wild animals to transit freely on the farms. In 2011, it was the time for the AAA Ecolaboration certification for rigorous quality control and sustainable production standards, which allowed Ipanema to become a Nespresso supplier.