Coffee Seen by Women: a special FARMly and Volcanic Region Producers Association for Women’s Month.
Juliana Lanzani is one of the accredited associates of Volcanic Region in Minas Gerais – Brazil
Juliana is 37 years old, an Italian-Portuguese descendant that comes from 3 generations of strong, warrior women and coffee growers. Her legacy is proudly passed on to her two daughters, also strong women.
Juliana’s family is originally banana growers, but in 2012 they acquired a property with coffee and continued to grow it. She then fell in love, not only with the production, but with the emotional side of coffee, with memories of harvesting and roasting made by her grandmother in her childhood.
2017 was the year they decided to dedicate themselves exclusively to coffee, with the full support of her family. Juliana studied, took many courses, and in 2020 was the year of highest production on their farm, but it was only when that coffee was sold that they realized the scale of the quality they had achieved.
Juliana and her family participated in a competition in Andradas (Minas Gerais) with a coffee score of 86.5 with liqueur, peach, and plum notes.
Juliana believes that the consumer feels the flavor of her coffee when it is made with love, care, attention, and when there is a story behind it, and they are investing in whatever they can, because the main thing they already have: quality coffee with love.
Check out now an exclusive FARMly interview with Juliana Lanzani, directly from the Women’s Day event at Volcanic Region, about the vision of women in the specialty coffee market.
Amanda: We already have a brief summary of your story, but we would like to know how was your journey in the world of specialty coffee until today, at the meeting of Women Coffee Growers of the Volcanic Region?
Juliana: So, Amanda, this love I have for coffee goes back to my childhood, even though I only started working with it in 2017. It really started with my grandfather coming from Italy to Brazil (Andradas), coming from a farming family and falling in love with the region. He produced wines in 1934 with awards throughout Brazil and he was always looking for innovative techniques in planting. My grandfather always knew the potential of the land knowing that it was a volcanic region. My grandmother started planting coffee together with this wine production in the contour technique and that’s when I could see my grandmother, my uncles cultivating the coffee, roasting the coffee with that smell that I loved. I looked forward to my vacations just to be there with them.
I left the region to go to college, but I came back as soon as I finished and worked with my father in fruit growing until I started my own dream. My father supported me in my decision to start growing coffee completely.
In 2020, we learned that our coffee was very good with the feedback from our buyers. In 2021 we participated in our first competition and already placed 6th. The truth is that the coffee in this region has value, it has body, a controlled acidity, and a lot of flavor.
Amanda: For you, what are the main landmarks of your history as a woman in coffee growing?
Juliana: Certainly being so young and already having an award-winning coffee. Women are meticulous, we give all of ourselves, we are mothers, and I do the same thing with coffee. I don’t see my farm as just a business, I see it as who I am. And this involves not only me, but many people who believe and are part of this story. Every employee, collaborator, and supplier believes in coffee and in our success, mainly because it is not just planting coffee, there is a lot of study, technique and afterwards processing, many things involved. the coffee world is addictive
Amanda: We know that being a woman implies a number of separate challenges, but for you, what have been the biggest challenges you have faced or still face for being a woman in coffee production?
Juliana: Honestly, it was much easier for me because I already came from a family that was connected to the land. It is a very masculine area, but I always knew how to talk to workers and suppliers. My grandmother, who had to take over the farm after my grandfather passed away, faced many problems in this regard. I learned from an early age to be strong with my grandmother. And my father’s support always taught me that I had a voice and strength.
Amanda: What is it like for you to be a mother and a coffee producer? Especially a mother of two girls?
Juliana: That’s the best part, it’s wonderful! Because I don’t stop being a mother because I am working with coffee, they are always with me. My oldest daughter is going to college for Agronomy and they are both passionate about it. This love overflows to them. They are the continuity of my dream.
Amanda: How do you see the future of coffee production? Do you see a promising future with a larger female participation?
Juliana: I believe that the tendency is for a lot of growth for women. More and more we are believing in our dreams, that we have the capacity and that we can do more. This makes all the difference in the specialty coffee market.
Amanda: On this Women’s Day, what do you leave as a note, inspiration or message for women who are or want to be in the world of specialty coffee and coffee production?
Juliana: The first thing is: belief. Believe in your dreams, that you are capable. We will always have challenges, but we have to believe in ourselves. Women have a very strong intuition, so if we feel that something is worth it, we must believe. Also, unity. We have to be united, be part of associations and be together.
So, for the future, I believe that our volcanic region will grow even more and we will have many women being part of this because alone we don’t do anything. Women united are very strong, whatever the sector!
