I am Gabriel Guimaraes and this is my coffee story.
My journey with coffee started a bit differently. When I was young, I would never drink coffee as to me it was really bad. Guess what, it’s because I never tried specialty beans! Bad coffee is not for me. I still remember the smell of a cup I had at my grandmother’s house, it was really weak and full of sugar.
I met a specialty coffee producer from Carmo de Minas when working as a bartender and that did change my perspective on coffee. We have been working together for 10 years now!
I have become a trainer in the coffee company Unique Cafes, which requires me to keep up to date with all coffee-related aspects. I am lucky to be living and working in a coffee producing region in Brazil so it’s a bit easier. I sometimes go on the road to run the courses elsewhere and you can also find me doing educational coffee videos for Unique Cafes Youtube channel.
Since coffee came into my life, it has become one of my passions. Being a bartender, I was able to connect the two and have since competed in Coffee in Good Spirits championships. Years of learning, hard work and passion paid off as I won the national CIGS in Brazil in 2019.
I believe that education is one of the most important things in the coffee community. We have to know more, to make informed choices, sell and buy good coffee and focus on keeping the chain sustainable. Being a part of the force that drives the Brazilian coffee market forward means a lot to me. My motto is that it is not enough to be different, you have to be surprising, on a daily basis!
I believe that my Youtube channel contributes to the coffee education and I’m proud of that. A lot of people still remember my win in 2013, I think it’s helping us to spread the good word!
I have been merging the bartending and working in coffee for quite some time now. These are my main interests. I like to read books about whiskey, wines and as I’m going forward professionally, I ‘m interested in people management as well. To unwind, I like to listen to music, dance and ride my motorcycle somewhere outdoors. If you’re ever here, you can find me in a café or roasting!
I am Gabriel Guimaraes and this is my story.
This article is edited by Maja. She is our content editor who loves specialy coffee.
