An Open Letter From The Brazilian Coffee Community

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A few short days ago we were given an extraordinary opportunity here at Sprudge. Leading members of the Brazilian coffee community, including coffee producers, cafe owners, journalists and activists, have authored an open letter stating their ardent opposition to the presidential candidacy of Jair Bolsonaro, a Brazilian politician commonly referred to as far-right, ultra-conservative, fascist, misogynist, and homophobic.

In consultation with our editorial advisory board, and in advance of the international coffee community’s upcoming travel to Brazil for Brazil International Coffee Week, we’ve decided to publish their letter in full. It includes a link to the community’s petition via Change.org (text in Portuguese).

Please note that it is Sprudge’s policy not to endorse any individual political candidate or party. The views represented in this open letter do not necessarily reflect the opinions of our owners, staff, editorial advisory board, or advertising partners. For additional context, the authors of the letter below recommend recent reporting from the BBC and John Oliver’s weekly news program on HBO, Last Week Tonight.

Coffee for Democracy

An Open Letter From Brazil’s Coffee Community

In times of turmoil we, professionals involved in the specialty coffee chain throughout Brazil, find ourselves with no other alternative than taking a stand and stating our commitment to democracy.

The specialty coffee chain, mostly made up of small- and medium-sized producers and companies, symbolizes a future that considers the environmental impact of food production, fair remuneration for producers, as well as respect and promotion of equality and social safety nets for coffee workers. Herein, we exercise the democratic right to oppose the proposals of the candidate Jair Bolsonaro, who in our understanding disseminates hatred and intolerance, going against the basic principles that we understand as pillars of our community. We would be overlooking if we did not stand by people of color and LGBTQ+, many of whom are members of our community as workers and/or customers, at a time when their lives are being threatened.

We know that we are not alone, both in Brazil and globally. In a recent episode, Sprudge was opposed to doing media coverage for an international event that would be based in a country with homophobic legislation. Part of such event was eventually transferred to Brazil.

To summarize, we believe:

– In the respect for the CLT (Consolidation of Labor Laws) and its acquired and strengthened labor rights.

– In equal conditions and rights for everyone, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, and economic conditions.

– In a fair production chain, committed to sustainable development, respect for the environment, and guided by the principles of human dignity and appropriate salaries, thus ensuring better living conditions for all involved in the production of specialty coffee.

Finally, we have the belief that cafes are spaces for dialogue and debate of ideas, thus we need to preserve them. This becomes more difficult if the context in which the cafes are inserted is undemocratic and averse to dialogue. We know, from recent historic events, that authoritarian government projects do not tolerate the free circulation of ideas, one of the bases of democracy: the untouchable right to be opposition with freedom of expression.

With these principles in mind, we believe that the presidential candidate Professor Fernando Haddad is the only one with who we share a shared vision of the future.

Authoritarianism makes everyone’s cup bitter.

Some Coffee shops/roasteries that signed this letter are below. The full list can be seen at the Change.org petition.

Takkø Café – São Paulo

Pura Caffeína – São Paulo

Oop – Belo Horizonte

King of the Fork – Sao Paulo

Objeto Encontrado – Brasília

Casa Quilha – Brasília

Café Secreto – Rio de Janeiro

Por um Punhado de Dólares – São Paulo

Yerba – São Paulo

Fora da Lei – São Paulo