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C Story / Zhoe Zhang Photo / Marcia Yoko Shimosaka

M arcia Yoko Shimosaka’s life is entangled with coffee. Growing up in the family’s coffee

farm, Marcia Yoko’s childhood memories were filled with picking coffee beans with
cousins on holidays. Later, she decided to step into the coffee industry officially after
graduation. Marcia Yoko has navigated through various facets of the coffee industry,
including cupping, coffee exporting, and quality control. She has consistently evolved, actively
engaging in every step of the coffee production chain. Her efforts are dedicated to satisfying the
needs of farmers, roasters, baristas, and everyone involved in the coffee journey. Notably, she has
served as the coach for the recent World Barista Champion, Boram Um, showcasing her extensive
expertise and commitment to the industry. There is no denying that there are ups and downs. Nev-
ertheless, the belief of being a humble listener and open-minded to all the innovations and ideas
supported her along the way for 20 years in the coffee industry.

Nourished by Coffee on a Brazilian Farm
´, ZLOO RYHUFRPH DOO WKH GLIÀFXOW VLWXDWLRQV “I was literally born on the farm.” Marcia Yoko Shimosaka told me. Her first memory of coffee

ZLWKRXW WKLQNLQJ WKHP DV GLIÀFXOW ,QVWHDG , started on a coffee farm in Cerrado Mineiro, Brazil. The Cerrado region is recognized as a gourmet
coffee region in Brazil, accounting for 12% of Brazil’s total coffee production. Nevertheless, the
will try my best to be more professional, to be Cerrado area was not a traditional coffee-growing area. It is known for poor soil and defined weath-
er with dry winters and rainy summers. The flat land also added the difficulty of producing coffee
someone people respect. In that case, no beans rich in flavors. Marcia Yoko joked that she believed coffee could be grown only in flat lands,
not in the mountains until she was 15. However, her family, who are immigrants from Japan, man-
one can have any doubt about me.” aged to tame the land and turn it into a coffee plantation that produces some of the best quality
coffee beans in Brazil.
For Marcia Yoko, her childhood on the farm was full of joy. She would never miss a winter
holiday on the farm, which was harvest time. There was one time she and her cousins spent a total
of three days on the farm to pick up the coffee fruits. Marcia Yoko thinks that the coffee plantation
is part of her, but working in coffee was not part of her plan when she was young. She chose to
major in law at university instead because her family is very traditional Japanese, and they do not
allow women in the family business.
However, things turned around in Marcia Yoko’s last year in college. Her father got too sick
for the business, and she had to assume her father’s position in the company. Initially, she started
as her father’s assistant in an agricultural consulting company and worked there for two years un-
til her father recovered. This period was the first time Marcia Yoko came into contact with and
learned about coffee production, fertilization, diseases, quality, and more by visiting other farms
Marcia Yoko Shimosaka
and meeting various coffee experts. “Coffee is such an interesting, dynamic, and specific market.
As much as you know the depth, you want to go further. I am the person who thinks a lot before I
decide something; when I decide to work in coffee, I just go forward.” She said. And so her coffee
journey officially began.

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