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I still reminisce glimpses of my conversation with happen. Garam graduated in finance, while Boram took
Anthony Douglas, the 2022 World Barista Champion, up engineering, a completely different path to where
last year. He is the epitome of being the master of his they are today. Soon after Fazenda Um came into exis-
craft yet so humble at the same time. The story is the tence, the brothers started getting interested in coffee,
same but this time around we have a new champion in working in quality control, processing, and assisting in
our presence. Coffee t&i Magazine had the pleasure of exports. In 2015, they opened Um Coffee Co. and took
interviewing Boram and his brother, Garam, represent- the Q grader and other barista courses.
ing Brazil at the World Barista Championship and World Their admiration for each other knows no
Brewers Cup respectively in Greece earlier this year. bounds, it was clear that one took inspiration from
Boram Um was crowned the 2023 World Barista Cham- the other and vice versa. When asked about Garam,
pion at the World of Coffee Athens in Greece last Boram was all praise, “Garam is a very meticulous
month, and for the first time ever, a Brazilian has won. and detail-oriented professional. He has massive
Garam’s achievement was remarkable as well, amounts of patience and care when teaching students
placing third in the competition. Both their accomplish- and clients in his coffee courses. Truly admirable.”
ments are an inspiration in the world of coffee and their And why wouldn’t he be when Garam had the same
journey has just begun. This was his third world com- to say about Boram, “Hard work and dedication is
petition backed up with four years of training paired synonymous to him and everything he does. Talent-
with running their family business Um Coffee Co. based ed yet humble, a rare trait to find these days, and
in Brazil, being full-time producers, and also managing also the best barista, which is already established,
a roasting setup and multiple specialty cafes in São and coffee taster that I know.” When asked about
Paulo. Is it even possible for the Um brothers to take the people around Boram who are constantly pushing
more on their plate? We’ll find out soon enough. him to achieve his dreams, he spoke about Garam,
They were born in Brazil to South Korean immi- “My brother is my partner and he fulfills the neces-
grant parents who have no background in coffee but sities I can’t. I think that is the essence of teamwork
were always fascinated by it. Boram explained, “We are and how we push our dreams of coffee together.”
not traditional coffee growers. My father is what you They opened their coffee shop and roastery to un-
would call “first generation” and began producing cof- derstand coffee in depth and as a way to convince their
fee as a passion project.” It was not easy for the family customers to choose high-quality coffee. Within the first
at first and were willing to experiment with new inno- six months, it was touted as a success with hoards of
vations. Boram recalls the first time it was decided to people coming in even though it was situated in a remote
implement raised beds in their farm and the idea was location. They also had their fair share of hurdles. Boram
“To this very day, not welcomed by their neighbors. Garam added, “I’m helps us understand, “To this very day, the Brazilian
society has a hard time understanding coffee profession-
happy we were able to impact the coffee community
the Brazilian soci- and share our findings even though we don’t have a als. The barista profession is still fairly new, say less than
twenty years, and there is a lot of prejudice to break.” It
background in coffee.”
ety has a hard time of Minas Gerais and started planting coffee trees in has become his mission to educate Brazilian consumers
Stefano bought Fazenda Um located in The South
about the joys of Brazilian specialty coffee and wants to
understanding cof- 2012. The other farm is in Espírito Santo and both be a positive role model for the next generation of Bra-
zilian specialty coffee professionals.
regions produce coffees distinct from each other. The
fee professionals. former has the classic Brazilian profile we all love and There are a total of six coffee shops in São Paulo and
The barista profes- enjoy with pronounced caramel and fruit notes while they are recognized as some of the best in the country. The
Um brothers are considering opening more given the sheer
the latter brings out the acidity and lemon notes in the
sion is still fairly coffee due to the higher elevation and humidity. Their size of the city and opportunities. The roastery operates at
a smaller scale at about 3-4 tons a month catering to other
testament to quality is proof they want to drive the
new, say less than industry forward. Today, they are testing over 40 dif- businesses, coffee shops, and hotels. Investment in their
baristas and nurturing their skills are in the plans. Fazenda
ferent varietals and types of processing to achieve
20 years, and a higher cup scores. Investments in shade growth tech- Um is going to be the most exciting strategy of them all,
niques are being implemented on their farms to offset
that will quite possibly bring innovation in coffee produc-
lot of prejudice the effects of climate change. tion. Both Boram and Garam spoke about focusing on ex-
Boram recalls his childhood experiences playing
otic varieties and different processed coffees for competi-
to break.” on the farm and being in nature. His parents made a tions. They also plan to expand and build their global
living in agriculture and coffee was a calling waiting to
presence as well as the national market.

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