As we launch this year’s Full Bloom offering from Daterra Estate in Brazil (check it out here), we figured it was time to talk about the history of our ongoing partnership with the producer and share a little bit about what makes them so special.
The (Blind) Beginnings of a Beautiful Friendship
Our relationship finds its origin back in 2020 at Forward coffee during what is not an uncommon scenario for roasters or importers looking for unique coffees to buy: a blind cupping. Blind cuppings can be a great way to go about the selection process, as the anonymity can remove the heavy baggage of biases for or against particular regions, producers, or processes. It allows for more objective selection and can also reintroduce the element of surprise and curiosity dampened by years of familiarity.
On this particular occasion, Ply was cupping some competition grade coffees, looking for something to use at the upcoming Brewer’s Cup competition. One coffee really stuck out for its sweetness and unusual profile– it boasted notes of sweet grape juice, honey, and bubblegum. While a bubblegum note might not seem so extraordinary to the specialty palette in 2026, it was quite unique at the time. To risk a horrible play on words, Ply was blindsided when he learned the coffee was from Brazil. Who knew such expressive, exciting coffee could come from a country known for its nutty, chocolatey profile? The coffee, he learned, was a hybrid Aramosa varietal (Arabica x Racemosa) from Daterra’s Masterpiece series, which they named Iracema. And although he didn’t select the coffee for competition, this would not be the end of their journey together.
The coffee reemerged as part of an auction lot that was being parted out to sell. This time, Ply knew Rogue Wave had to bring it in. At the time, the company was a much lower volume operation and still early on in trying more unconventional coffees, so buying such an expensive coffee with an atypical profile was a risk that may not be happily rewarded. But the team wanted something that would surprise customers, and given Ply’s own shock toward the coffee, this would do just the trick. We took the plunge, buying 10kg of the lot, and the rest is history. The coffee flew off the shelves and instilled within us the confidence that our customers were excited about the same things we were and, to boot, willing to come along for the ride. Thus marked Rogue Wave’s descent (laudatory) into a reputation for sourcing boundary-pushing coffees and a long, gratifying relationship with Daterra.
The coffee that started it all:
We continued over the next couple years to bring in coffees from their Masterpiece series, but as is the natural trajectory of most unions, our relationship has matured and stabilized, and we’re not always seeking the most unconventional thing Daterra can offer us. It’s Daterra’s Full Bloom from their Collections series that finds a consistent home on our shelves, offering a constant for our customers looking for an exceptionally sweet, nutty, and delicious cup. But we won’t lie: we’re still eager to bring in unique coffees from their Masterpiece series from time to time to reinvigorate that initial spark.
Our relationship with Daterra has evolved both professionally– moving from an indirect buying relationship facilitated by Forward Coffee to a direct sourcing partnership– and personally. What started as a formal business relationship has transformed into something more akin to friendship. Visits to the farm aren't complete without some silly selfies; formal communication has metamorphosed into casual WhatsApp messages, whether to share some knowledge or a laugh; and whenever the folks at Daterra are travelling, we can expect that an invite for Ply to brew at their booth is incoming. Of course, we're also still roasting their delicious coffee.
A Bit About Daterra and Why We Love Them
An Unwavering Commitment to Sustainability
The humble beginnings of Daterra Estate have no doubt shaped the way they do things. After being financially bolstered by a family friend when business was tight, they recognized that strong relationships, solidarity, and reciprocity were an essential part of doing business. The quality of their coffee, they acknowledged, was not only a reward for their hard work and dedication but also a result of an inextricable interconnectedness and interdependence with the soil, the water, and the people involved in every step of their journey, within the industry and without. That’s why the estate grounds its practices upon a reciprocal relationship with the land and its people.
Wanting to take accountability for the extractive nature of their craft, they remain dedicated to protecting and honouring the land they work upon. Even before ‘sustainability’ was a generally popular term in agriculture, Daterra was a forerunner in sustainable agriculture in Brazil. They were the first Brazilian coffee farm to be Rainforest Alliance and ISO 14001 certified and are committed to selling coffee only to sustainability-certified importers. Over half of their land is dedicated to conservation practices, including planting native trees and generating organic compost. They also share crucial knowledge with smaller producers to support their growth and to further advance their ethos: “to produce high quality coffee in harmony with nature.”
Incredible Quality Control, Backed by Science
Quality and consistency is extremely important in coffee, and Daterra’s ongoing commitment to innovative agricultural practices, and their meticulous dedication to quality control from production to distribution keeps them a step ahead. The farm is sectioned into various geo locations, each comprised of different varieties of coffee plants expressing different flavour characteristics, and all are carefully monitored for quality. Cherries are collected from the top, middle, and bottom of the plants from each location and blended to create a profile that buyers can trust will remain consistent year after year.
The estate employs full-time biologists who study the farm’s terroir to determine the most effective and sustainable ways to maximize quality, minimize unwanted variation, and ensure the production of the particular profiles they’re looking for. Daterra also works with the University of Campinas in São Paulo, one of the largest coffee research campuses, studying coffee genetics to create hybrid varietals that are more resilient, complex, and can meet unique consumer needs. The Aramosa varietal used in the Iracema series is one such coffee– a hybrid of Arabica and Racemosa with a low-caffeine content. Daterra was one of the first to grow Aramosa and remains one of few certified to grow it today. Their dedication to ongoing research and innovation rewards them not only with consistently high quality coffee but also with an environment that continues to support their dream. At Daterra, “It’s not only about producing the best coffee of the world. It is about producing coffee for a better world.”
Farm information adapted from Daterra’s website and Ply’s witness account.