The story of Dulce Borges from Sitio Pinheirinho farm in Mantiqueira, Brazil
“The heart sees everything, while the eyes only see.”
At Motobean, we choose to work with green bean importers that value people. We care about where our coffee comes from and love the stories of the farmers and their families. We purchase mainly from the good guys at Minas Hill Coffee because they value small producers and family-owned farms, they seek out the best beans as well as the best conditions for farmers and families. Minas Hill Coffee value how transparency and fairness positively changed producers’ lives and have partnered with APAS (Alto da Serra Producers’ Association) since 2013 in championing small coffee producers.
Marcello (Minas Hill Coffee) sent us a coffee from a little farm on a tiny parcel of land known as Sitio Pinherinho or ‘Little Pine Tree’. We were immediately taken by the rich creamy mouthfeel of this coffee and its syrupy toffee notes. But hearing that the beans are selectively hand-picked by husband-wife team Jose Paulo and Dulciniea “Dulce” Borges who take care of everything on their humble farm, we just had to find out more.
We discovered that Dulce was indeed born blind and is an immensely inspiring woman. Dulce never let her blindness cause her to fear her future or fear her work as a coffee farmer. Instead she sees it as an opportunity: “Vision from the heart is much more important than vision from the eyes. The heart sees everything, while the eyes only see.”
Dulce is also a key part of the Flowers in Action (Flores em Aceo) Project. Flores em Aceo encourages women to produce, process and brand their own coffee, showcasing their talent, creativity and journey. The dedication and passion of these women have proved to be essential ingredients in the creation of outstanding coffee micro-lots.
Dulce says that working with coffee is very gratifying for her, not only because of the remuneration but also because of the ones who value her hard work. “There are moments when Jose Paulo finds himself a bit down, but then he thinks of me and all that I’ve been through, and how I am such an independent woman, able to roast, grind and pack our own coffee. He gets motivated and that’s how he keeps working with devotion and love” – she says.
Minas Hill Coffee is proud to import these coffees to Australia every year to folks like us at Motobean. And we are proud to roast Dulce’s beans and tell her story. In this current climate of uncertainty and strange social circumstances, we are inspired by Dulce’s journey and her positive attitude. So we are carrying on this week in the spirit of Dulce, and enjoying her coffee of course!