The idea of Brew Brazil Day came from Sherri and Fernanda. One day, looking for a Brazilian coffee in New York they realized they could not find any. Every coffee shop, they went had Sumatra, Guatemala, Kenya, Colombia but none had any distinctive Brazilian coffee. Being from the coffee business they both were amazed. Brazil is the largest producer of coffee in the world, not only that but the fact that Brazil is so huge, it give it the opportunity to have different coffee flavors and aroma depending on the region. A Brazilian Cerrado will taste different than a Brazilian sul de Minas or a Alta Mogiana. Because Brazil for so long has been used as a suppler of Robusta Coffee for a base blend, its single origin specialty coffee became forgotten in the supply chain. Most coffee shops do have Brazilian Coffee in its blended coffee but few can give you a pure single origin Brazilian Coffee.

Our objective is to make all the regions known to the public. Is to have a consumer walk into a coffee house and be able to ask for a “Brazilian Cerrado” the same ways he asks for a Kona, a Sumatra or any other single origin coffee. Eliane joined in later, when realized on a market research how unknown, Brazilian Specialty Coffee was to the public.

Sherri Johns has 31 years in the specialty coffee industry and began her career as a barista in San Francisco in 1976.

Many individuals fall into this line of work purely by accident and learn to appreciate and love the fine art of specialty drinks, but for Sherri Johns, the president of WholeCup Coffee Consulting, coffee has always flowed through her veins. Sherri and husband Danny are partners in WholeCup Coffee Consulting located in Portland, Oregon, USA, specializing in international barista training, specialty retail concept development and producing coffee special events including competitions and barista jams for the industry, other trades and consumers.

Sherri is also a head judge for the cup of excellence, and have introduced the barista competitions throughout the world. First as a coordinator for World Barista Championship, then Ultimate Barista Challenge. She was also responsible for the opening of 20 stores for Starbucks.

Fernanda Mazzuco has been in the coffee business for more than 10 years. She was a Senior marketing executive for Astro Café,one of the leading coffee companies in the Brazilian market, where she was instrumental in developing their export strategy as well as positioning their product in high end stores all over the world. She was a pioneer in introducing the barista championship in Brazil and a founder of its Barista Championship Association. She is a versed cupper and has been a coffee judge for many years.

She has been a leader in introducing Brazil as a viable Specialty Coffee source.

She now resides in New York where she is a senior partner of Joy Brazil Coffee Inc. an importer and distributor of Brazilian Specialty Coffee, on the Internet and on major retailers, in the U.S. and abroad.

Eliane Sobral is the president of Esobral & Associates LLC, an import and export consultant company. She consults regularly with many Estate farms in Brazil to help export their products. Prior to he current business, she was a Senior Retail executive with brands like Victoria Secret, Express, Levi and Ann Taylor, where she has had the opportunity to travel and do business around the world.

She is also a senior partner of Joy Brazil Coffee Inc. an importer and distributor of Brazilian Specialty Coffee, on the Internet and on major retailers, in the U.S. and abroad.

She now lives in Manhattan where she has resided for the last 5 years. It is there that she started to explore her passion for the art and science of coffee brewing.