The great expansion of coffee cultivation in São Paulo, Brazil, initiated an immigration movement from Europe and some parts of Asia. What started at the end of the 19th century resulted in São Paulo becoming one of the world’s largest diversified economic centers. Immigration success stories are plenty here, but in the district of Bom Retiro, all eyes are on the Um brothers.

Stefano Um, the head of the family, immigrated to Brazil with his parents in 1976, and little did he know that he would be considered an important figure in elevating specialty coffee in Brazil. His love for the country and coffee led him to acquire his first coffee farm in 2009.

There are two stories here, both interlinked, one following the other, from one generation to the next. I’ll get to the part where Stefano’s sons grew up to capture the world coffee stage earlier this year. But first, I wanted to introspect about how much work baristas put in competitions, since I had a chance to take a peek at their preparation.

It grounded me in appreciation of the hard workers in the coffee industry. You are not only competing with others but also with yourself. It’s not for the faint-hearted, but for those who are determined with grit and dedication to the minutest level. From the inception of the idea to the creation of the drinks, I didn’t expect there was so much preparation involved in a 15-minute presentation that could change your fate.

I still reminisce glimpses of my conversation with Anthony Douglas, the 2022 World Barista Champion, last year. He is the epitome of being the master of his craft yet so humble at the same time. The story is the same but this time around we have a new champion in our presence. Coffee t&i Magazine had the pleasure of interviewing Boram and his brother, Garam, representing Brazil at the World Barista Championship and World Brewers Cup respectively in Greece earlier this year. Boram Um was crowned the 2023 World Barista Champion at the World of Coffee Athens in Greece last month, and for the first time ever, a Brazilian has won.

Garam’s achievement was remarkable as well, placing third in the competition. Both their accomplishments are an inspiration in the world of coffee and their journey has just begun. This was his third world competition backed up with four years of training paired with running their family business Um Coffee Co. based in Brazil, being full-time producers, and also managing a roasting setup and multiple specialty cafes in São Paulo. Is it even possible for the Um brothers to take more on their plate? We’ll find out soon enough.

They were born in Brazil to South Korean immigrant parents who have no background in coffee but were always fascinated by it. Boram explained, “We are not traditional coffee growers. My father is what you would call “first generation” and began producing coffee as a passion project.” It was not easy for the family at first and were willing to experiment with new innovations. Boram recalls the first time it was decided to implement raised beds in their farm and the idea was not welcomed by their neighbors. Garam added, “I’m happy we were able to impact the coffee community and share our findings even though we don’t have a background in coffee.”

Stefano bought Fazenda Um located in The South of Minas Gerais and started planting coffee trees in 2012. The other farm is in Espírito Santo and both regions produce coffees distinct from each other. The former has the classic Brazilian profile we all love and enjoy with pronounced caramel and fruit notes while the latter brings out the acidity and lemon notes in the coffee due to the higher elevation and humidity. Their testament to quality is proof they want to drive the industry forward. Today, they are testing over 40 different varietals and types of processing to achieve higher cup scores. Investments in shade growth techniques are being implemented on their farms to offset the effects of climate change.

Boram recalls his childhood experiences playing on the farm and being in nature. His parents made a living in agriculture and coffee was a calling waiting to happen. Garam graduated in finance, while Boram took up engineering, a completely different path to where they are today. Soon after Fazenda Um came into existence, the brothers started getting interested in coffee, working in quality control, processing, and assisting in exports. In 2015, they opened Um Coffee Co. and took the Q grader and other barista courses.

Their admiration for each other knows no bounds, it was clear that one took inspiration from the other and vice versa. When asked about Garam, Boram was all praise, “Garam is a very meticulous and detail-oriented professional. He has massive amounts of patience and care when teaching students and clients in his coffee courses. Truly admirable.” And why wouldn’t he be when Garam had the same to say about Boram, “Hard work and dedication is synonymous to him and everything he does. Talented yet humble, a rare trait to find these days, and also the best barista, which is already established, and coffee taster that I know.” When asked about the people around Boram who are constantly pushing him to achieve his dreams, he spoke about Garam, “My brother is my partner and he fulfills the necessities I can’t. I think that is the essence of teamwork and how we push our dreams of coffee together.”

They opened their coffee shop and roastery to understand coffee in depth and as a way to convince their customers to choose high-quality coffee. Within the first six months, it was touted as a success with hoards of people coming in even though it was situated in a remote location. They also had their fair share of hurdles. Boram helps us understand, “To this very day, the Brazilian society has a hard time understanding coffee professionals. The barista profession is still fairly new, say less than twenty years, and there is a lot of prejudice to break.” It has become his mission to educate Brazilian consumers about the joys of Brazilian specialty coffee and wants to be a positive role model for the next generation of Brazilian specialty coffee professionals.

There are a total of six coffee shops in São Paulo and they are recognized as some of the best in the country. The Um brothers are considering opening more given the sheer size of the city and opportunities. The roastery operates at a smaller scale at about 3-4 tons a month catering to other businesses, coffee shops, and hotels. Investment in their baristas and nurturing their skills are in the plans. Fazenda Um is going to be the most exciting strategy of them all, that will quite possibly bring innovation in coffee production. Both Boram and Garam spoke about focusing on exotic varieties and different processed coffees for competitions. They also plan to expand and build their global presence as well as the national market.

Family businesses can be tricky and it’s not run like regular businesses. Lucky for us Garam breaks it down for us, “There are challenges, but the advantages outweigh them. Some of the advantages I can think of is working in proximity, solving problems together and having different opinions and ideas opens up opportunities to grow the business. The main challenge is to separate personal and professional involvement, it can be done and not entirely impossible.”

The positive impact of the Um Coffee Co. and Fazenda Um has been felt on the local community and Garam explains how, “The first few years have been difficult, it was hard to show the local community why specialty coffee was different from commercial coffee. This is a challenge for most coffee shops, but now most of our clients know the difference and they appreciate the coffee to the fullest.” Being an effective trainer is all about imparting knowledge in the most impactful way possible, Garam tells us why he is very passionate about training, “It’s a pleasure disseminating knowledge and teaching about specialty coffee. Participating in the world opens you to huge learning opportunities which I can share with my clients and students.

Boram remembers watching different competitions whilst attending coffee expos abroad, “I was first inspired to be a competition barista back in 2015 after watching my first world competition.” He wanted to compete as an opportunity to learn and gain different perspectives in the market. They first started investing on their baristas to compete but quickly realized it wasn’t only about delivering a solid presentation or presenting a flavorful coffee. In 2019, he decided to compete to learn how competitions worked and how he could transmit that information back to the team. The benefits they gained when he started working towards it by showcasing high-quality Brazilian coffee and the barista profession was tantamount to their success.

Boram’s goal for competing was to “gather massive amounts of coffee knowledge” while Garam wanted to focus on building their brand, he shared his plan about the Um Coffee Academy, “I want our brand to be known globally and inspire future students to learn about specialty coffee.” His passion for brewing developed more and more as he started working with coffee. He explains why it’s more than a mere infatuation, “I was always fascinated with how different variables influenced the final beverage. I studied the topic deeply to gain more knowledge and compete on a higher level.”

There’s no proven recipe in terms of winning a barista championship. Everyone has a different perspective on how to go about preparing for the competition. Boram’s investment of time and effort on the technical side was a priority for him. The score sheet is a prime example; to understand how to perform well, score the most points in every segment, the presentation, the concept, and the quality of drinks. Selecting the right coffee and developing an ideal roast profile is crucial. Boram used a Pink Bourbon grown on their farm which was inspired by an anaerobically fermented Panama Geisha from Janson Family Estates.

The prep is what makes or breaks the performance. When asked about their prep, Boram exhaled and said, “A lot of practice, an average of 10-12 hours a day. This had to reflect our goal to inspire our professionals and bring a new title to the Brazilian coffee industry as a strategy.” Garam also trained a similar number of hours practicing his routine day in and day out, his plan was to intensify the training as he got closer to the competition, adjusting the finer details along the way.

Every individual’s presentation in the competition is unique. It brings out their creative nature and also the topic they deeply care about. Boram’s theme was teamwork and he explains why he chose this concept, “The essence of our industry is unity. We have many steps in the coffee industry, many players are involved, and we sometimes forget how important this is for innovation. This is why I wanted to highlight our collaborative community in my message.” After all, “ teamwork makes the dream work,” that was his opening statement in his routine. He compares the WBC to Formula 1 racing because according to him, “It takes the entire city to help you get there and perform the best when it’s time for the competition. It’s a long term commitment having already performed four times to get me where I am today.”

Garam’s presentation had a unique touch and it had everything to do with the music. He breaks it down for us why he chose not one but three different pieces for his routine, “The first part was slow, the pace was relaxed while I was talking about the coffee and the methods; the middle part picked up, and the rhythm was faster and fun while I was brewing coffee; and for the last part towards the closing of the presentation, we slowed again for the judges to feel relaxed.”

Specialty coffee still hasn’t reached the masses in Brazil and a Brazilian winning the first WBC is a good marketing tactic to promote specialty coffee locally by making the public aware that there is high end and high-quality specialty coffee in Brazil. This will help attract more people to the industry whether professionally or from a consumer point of view.

Boram comments appreciating the topic in discussion, “Brazil has an incredible coffee market due to population density and coffee being part of the Brazilian DNA. You’ll find more and more consumers pushing toward high-quality coffee, which motivates our producers to sell coffee to our local markets.”Garam adds, “You’ve got varied drying phases and times, different types of natural and honey processed coffees, and not to forget, the market for highly fermented coffees are on the rise as well. Our clients are looking for something funky.” It’s an exciting time ahead for the coffee industry in Brazil. Innovation in processing and unique fermentation techniques are t rending right now.

Winning the World Barista Championship was a big deal for Boram and Brazil, he comments, “I believe being a champion means I can help nurture our industry and Brazilian coffee, and collectively push the industry forward toward new ideas in coffee processing and innovation.“ He is also considered a success story for hundreds if not thousands of immigrants in the coffee industry and hopes to inspire new generations of producers and baristas to continue innovating bringing unity forward. Boram signs off by explaining what his role is going to be going forward, “Being the Barista Champion, I have to positively represent the entire coffee industry and showcase Brazilian coffee at a global level and being the son of South Korean immigrants, there’s a sense of pride on that side of the world as well.”