Meeting Members:
GCP speaks to Silvia Kurebayashi Fonte, President of ACECAP – the Association of Specialty Coffee Producers from the Paulista Water Circuit.
ACECAP (Association of Specialty Coffee Producers from the Paulista Water Circuit) was founded on January 26, 2018 with 24 coffee growers as members, with the objective of improving the visibility of the region in the specialty coffee market and, at the same time, stimulating the expansion of coffee production in order to keep agricultural businesses running, maintain people in the countryside, preserve the local landscape and contribute to regional sustainable development.
The association now has 47 members from 9 municipalities of the “Circuito das Águas Paulista”. ACECAP promotes the region’s coffees in fairs and events, and encourages its members to participate in quality competitions. Together with entities such as SEBRAE, SENAR and rural trade unions, the association carries out training for coffee growers aimed at improving coffee quality and catering to market requirements.
“ACECAP recognizes in the Coffee Sustainability Curriculum the basic principles for members to reach product quality, while protecting the environment and complying with social practices; it is a reference for all coffee producers.”
Silvia Kurebayashi Fonte, President ACECAP
With support from SEBRAE and other partners, ACECAP is currently working to obtain a Geographical Indication (GI) for the region’s specialty coffees. The Protected Designation of Origin called “Café do Circuito das Águas Paulista” should benefit the entire coffee production chain, in addition to tourism, hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, and other local businesses.
ACECAP’s greatest value lies in the regional union, the collective work to raise the Paulista Water Circuit to a high-quality threshold recognized by the market, and the achievement of regional sustainability.
This contribution forms part of a series called Meeting Members. Image credit: ACECAP