High output but low quality? Brazil launches plan to improve coffee's overseas image

According to a report by the São Paulo newspaper, this initiative aims to emulate the achievements Colombia has made over decades in promoting coffee quality, conveying the superior quality of its coffee to the international market.

To this end, key industry bodies, from farmers' associations to exporters and producers, have joined forces to upgrade the brand and launched a promotional campaign that has been widely disseminated across major media outlets.

The traditional symbol of Brazilian coffee, which appears on coffee bags and various products worldwide, has been cleverly updated to appear more modern. Simultaneously, a promotional campaign focusing on Brazilian coffee cultivation techniques has been launched.

The campaign claims that Brazilian coffee is an example of "ESG+T," where "T" stands for technology, complementing "ESG" (good environmental, social, and corporate governance).

This initiative aims to reverse the long-held perception of international buyers that Brazilian coffee, while high in production, is low in quality.

"There are many misconceptions about Brazilian coffee worldwide. This hinders the continuous development of our production chain. Brazil is even superior to its competitors in many product areas. However, our coffee sells at a lower price. To change this perception, we need to promote it in the market. Therefore, we decided to make this statement now, as the first step in a broader marketing strategy," said Fabrício Andrade, President of the National Coffee Committee of the National Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock (CNA).

The institutions involved in this strategy include the Brazilian Coffee Industry Association (ABIC), the Brazilian Instant Coffee Industry Association (ABICS), the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA), the National Coffee Committee under the National Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock, the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Association (Cecafé), the National Coffee Council (CNC), and the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA).

Although Brazil now has high-quality sensory coffee beans, historically it has been seen as a producer of low-value commodity coffee, while Colombia is renowned for its premium Arabica coffee beans.

However, in recent years, the quality of Brazilian coffee has made significant strides, and it has now entered the specialty coffee market, competing with more traditionally esteemed origins such as Colombia and Ethiopia.

Nevertheless, Brazil still struggles to be recognized as a producer of coffee beans of equal value to Colombia or Ethiopia. Part of the reason is poor communication. This is because Colombia has spent decades building its image of high-quality and prestigious coffee. Therefore, in the United States and Europe, Colombia is seen as the benchmark for coffee, while Brazil continues to be viewed by most global consumers as a producer of inferior coffee.