Caxambu | Shipped by Sail

Caxambu | Shipped by Sail £9.75

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• Story

  We’ve loved collaborating with Lúcia ever since we first met her through our Beija Flor women producer program. Her warmth and passion are infectious—and they shine through in every coffee we’ve shared together.

  Lúcia: "I was born and grew up on the farm and lived here until I was 16 years old. That's when I moved to Rio de Janeiro to study and built an academic career there. After a long time, I left the beach to the countryside, getting back to the farm so that, together with my brothers and sister, I could carry on the legacy that our parents had left us. I didn't want their life story and all their efforts to be in vain, and I made a point of taking over the farm’s management."

  "At that moment, I suggested to my family and our team a new page in this story, a change of mindset and actions. Together we created a new plan that set us on the path of specialty coffee, focusing on studies and researches in order to develop the best coffees and the best experiences for our customers and partners."

  "Taking care of people is the first step towards a successful job. We developed a culture where our team was more united, learning together and understanding that producing specialty coffee is about technique, but it's also about our souls, about purpose, about giving the world what we produce as a gift."

  Carmen Lucia likes to highlight the work of Caxambu's team - she is constantly giving them courses, trainings and updating them about the specialty coffee market, this way they can understand the importance of their work and feel more part of the process, celebrating the great results together.

  Caxambu's name is based on the African and indigeous ancestry present in Brazil since very early on. The word “Caxambu” means “music box”, referring to the drums that were very common back in the days, used by the local tribes as a mean of communication between them.

  After harvesting, pulping and processing her coffee, Ucha always rests it in large warehouses where calm, classical music is played – to relax it, after all the strenuous activity of growing, fruiting and processing.

• Provenance

  Country: Brazil

  Region: Três Pontas, Sul de Minas

  Elevation: 970 – 1,200 masl

  Produced by: Carmen Lúcia Chaves de Brito

  Variety: Yellow Catuai

  Process: Natural

• Transparency

  Price Paid (FOB): $3.50/lb

  Price vs Fairtrade Minimum: +94%

  Cup Score: 84.5

  Relationship Since: 2022

  What does this mean? Learn more on coffee transparency.

• FAQs

  Q. Why aren’t you shipping coffee by sail all the way to Cornwall? 

  A: While our goal is direct sail freight to Falmouth for maximum environmental impact, this initial 19-tonne shipment by sail from Brazil to France is a critical learning phase. So, while not perfect at this stage, we have been able to test the new system with a significant volume. Working closely with our partners BELCO, we're actively building upon and refining our operational logistics, paving the way for future shipments to sail directly to Cornwall.

  Q. What happened to the coffee when it got to Le Havre? 

  A: Having crossed the Atlantic from Brazil, the sailing vessel docked at the port of Le Havre. At BELCO's warehouse, also in Le Havre, the coffee then underwent thorough in-house quality checks. From there, it was transported to our Cornwall roastery via a combination of ferry and road travel.

  Q. How much coffee are you shipping by sail per year? 

  A: 2024 was our first year shipping coffee by sail and we’re proud to have transported 19 tonnes (1x container) in this way. In 2025, we will be shipping a minimum of 2x containers by sail.

  Q. What is the carbon saving of shipping by sail vs diesel-powered cargo ships? 

  A: Sail cargo can achieve between a 95%-84% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to average container carriers. This means, our Sail Ship coffee could reduce CO2 emissions by as much as 3.9 tonnes CO2e per container, when compared to average diesel-powered sea freight. This calculation applies to sea freight only and additional factors such as road logistics will contribute to overall emissions savings. Please see our sources page for further reading.

  Q. What are the other environmental benefits of sail boats compared to diesel-powered cargo ships? 

  A: Wind-powered ships eliminate the sulphur dioxide emissions and greatly reduce the noise pollution associated with conventional diesel-powered sea cargo.

  Q. Why is this coffee more expensive than other espresso blends? 

  A: Several factors contribute to the higher cost of coffee shipped by sail compared to conventional cargo ships, including smaller cargo hold capacities and underdeveloped infrastructure. Given that the revival of sail ship transportation is still in its infancy, we would expect these costs to decrease as the demand for coffee shipped in this way, and the availability of vessels grow.