Nossa Familia Coffee: An Exceptional Farm-Direct Coffee Experience
Sustainability, family, and heritage have merged to create one of the finest coffee experiences and brands in the Pacific Northwest, Nossa Familia Coffee. Augusto Carnerio has led the way for socially conscious coffee in Nossa Familia since its inception in 2004. Discover why others rave about the quality and community community of Nossa.
- Family & Fair Trade Focused
- Direct Relationships with Farmers and Supply Chain
- Wholesale, Direct, and Retail Balanced
- Limited Selection
Table of Contents
An Overview
Nossa Familia may have gotten off to a slow and unconventional start in 2004 but the four cafe locations and roastery are living proof that slow progress is still progress.
The Story of Nossa
Nossa Familia coffee founder, Augusto Carneiro, is an avid cyclist from Rio de Janeiro who studied in Portland as an exchange student. He also became a college tennis player. After getting a degree, he worked as a mechanical engineer for a few years but got frustrated with his engineering job he found monotonous and unfulfilling.
His mind keeps on drifting back to his childhood memories, in his hometown, on the days of working at their coffee farm. He was so proud of what his family had been doing for over hundred of years so he decided to quit his job and do what he is passionate about.
He brought his family’s coffee to Portland, Oregon.
Farms
Sul de Minas
The average altitude in the region of Sul de Minas is 950m, and it has a mild annual temperature of 22 degrees Celsius. This region produces 30% of Brazil’s total coffee beans and has a distinct cup and flavor profile.
The coffee varieties that grow in this region are Catuai, Obata, Icatu, Mundo Novo, and Catuai Rubi. These beans have cup notes described as the slightly citric, full-body, and fruity aroma. Its flavor notes display fruity, chocolatey, and honey-like sweetness.
The Nossa farms you can find in this region:
- Fazenda Cachoeira da Grama supervised by Gabriel Carvalho Dias
- Fazenda Recreio supervised by Diogo Dias Macedo
- Fazenda Santa Alina supervised by Lucia ‘Tuca’ Dias
Cerrado de Minas
The Cerrado de Minas holds the Cerrado Mineiro status, a distinction given to Brazil’s famous coffee-producing state. Coffee varieties produced in this region are Mundo Novo and Catuai.
These beans have impressive cup notes of delicate citrus acidity, medium in body, and sweetness. It’s one of the best tasting coffee for its aromatic caramel notes and nuts with a chocolatey finish.
Nossa farms you can find in this region are:
- Fazenda São Francisco supervised by Ernesto Carvalho Dias
- Fazenda Rodomunho and Vereda supervised by Cristiano Ottoni
Nossa Coffee also source other single-origins they offer from the following farms:
- Guatemala – Finca San Jerónimo Miramar
- Guatemala – La Armonia Hermosa
- Guatemala – San Miguel Escobar Cooperative
- Guatemala – Asociación Unión de Pequeños Caficultores
- Kenya – Oreti Estate
- Nicaragua – Finca San Jose de las Nubes
- Peru – Selva Andina
What Makes Nossa Different?
Nossa Familia Coffee is not just another roaster. They operate with social and environmental responsibility in mind. Likewise, they aim to strengthen local and global relationships while celebrating the family’s heritage in cultivating coffee over the years.
Sustainability
Nossa Familia views sustainability from a holistic approach. Everyone involved in the supply chain is treated as part of the family. Every decision made for the farms, their relationships, their places, and their operations is centered on sustainability. Ultimately, these decisions are expected to create a positive impact in the future and improve the quality of their products.
B Corporation
Nossa Familia Coffee is the first Certified B Corporation coffee roaster in Oregon! This distinction is awarded to businesses that strive to use their resources and influence to do good not only to people but to the community and environment they’re into. Likewise, it is awarded to businesses that meet the highest social and environmental performance standards, accountability, and transparency. Considering the level of competition in Portland, OR, this is now small feat!
Nossa Familia received this recognition in February 2016 with an overall impact score of 91.3. Initially, businesses that apply for the B Corp certification are assessed with the B Impact Assessment. To get certified, a business must achieve at least 80 points from the assessment.
Community Support
Nossa treats everyone as part of their family, and giving back to the community is one of their sustainable goals to build a lasting relationship. Their Nossa Giveback Program is one of the many community support initiatives that Nossa Familia implements. It aims to reinvest 10% of its profits to organizations, and farmers whom they believe are doing their best to make the world a better place.
Some of the projects they’ve supported over the years are:
- Raising funds for the new farm at San Jose de las Nubes farm in Nicaragua
- Providing support to the micro-loan fund initiatives for the next generation Guatemalan coffee farmers
- Employment opportunities through Sunday Parkways coffee booth
- Donating $0.50 for every coffee bag purchase to The Street Trust and Community Cycling center in Portland, Oregon.
- Fundraising for Visibles Guatemala and the Sexual & Gender Minority Youth Resource Center (SMYRC)
Another community support initiative where Nossa Familia proactively participates is their Origin Education Talks. It is a 5-month educational conversation series about growing coffee, processing, and researching before the beans reach the roastery.
The talks are led by the Director of Coffee for Nossa Familia, Rob Hoos, along with guest speakers to tackle essential topics about coffee and sustainability.
Brewing Guides
For better-tasting coffee, Nossa Familia provides brewing guides for different brewing methods that most homebrewers use. These are Aeropress, Chemex, Pour-over, and French Press. In addition, the guides provide the helpful tips when it comes to brewing espresso.
Coffee Trips
Nossa Familia Coffee offers coffee trips in Guatemala to people who want to experience what it’s like to harvest coffee beans from its tree, what the coffee cherry’s husks taste like, or how farms process their coffee beans. It’s a mini-field trip worth spending as it allows you to:
- Go sightseeing in the beautiful landscapes of Antigua
- Visits coffee farms at Ciudad Vieja
- Learn coffee basics with De La Gente
- Attend Guatemalan Pepian cooking workshop
- Tour the San Jeronimo Miramar coffee farm, visit the nature reserve and see Parma cheese factory up close
- Enjoy the views and the activities prepared in Lake Atitlan
- Experience authentic Guatemalan food, culture and coffee
The coffee trips are available from January 31, 2020, to February 7, 2021. This Guatemalan coffee trip costs $1,450 per head.
Barista Training
If you want to improve your coffee making craft, you can always visit their barista resources page for the most insightful tips and knowledge that you’ll need. They offer learning resources and training for Espresso, Milk Steaming, and Latte Art. It’s not your regular barista training as the learning page discusses the brewing coffee’s ins and outs.
Coffees Offered by Nossa
Familia coffee takes pride with their Brazilian coffee and other single-origin coffee they source from partner farms. Here are some of their best-sellers you should not miss.
Augusta’s Organic Breakfast
Augusta’s Organic Breakfast coffee is a Guatemalan breakfast-style coffee. It is certified organic by USDA and is harvested from shade-grown Arabica coffee plants.
Origin: Peru (Union y Fe Cooperative)
Roast Level: Medium roast
Cup notes: Smooth, bright and balanced
Taste notes: With hints of brown sugar sweetness
Brewing method: French Press, Aeropress, Cold brew
Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth
Namesake
Grandmother Augusta: Inviting, nurturing, warm
Origin Guatemala - Asociación Unión de Pequeños Caficultores (UPC)
Our Notes
Bright and balanced with a brown sugar sweetness.
This coffee is ideal as drip or press pot; it also makes a balanced, organic espresso and is delicious iced.
Brazilian Decaf
This Brazilian Decaf undergoes the Swiss Water Method to remove 97 to 99% of the coffee beans’ caffeine. It is a blend of Peaberry beans from naturally mutated coffee plants with cherries that bears one seed.
Origin: Brazil
Roast Level: Medium to Dark roast
Varietal: Peaberry
Cup notes: Smooth and balanced
Taste notes: With hints of chocolate and floral tones with a lingering sweetness
Processing Method: Naturally processed; Swiss Water Method (for decaffeination)
Brewing method: French Press, Aeropress, Cold brew
The farm-direct decaf comes from the family farms in the Sul de Minas region of Brazil. It is currently comprised of a special lot of Peaberry beans, which come from naturally mutated coffee cherries that contain only one seed instead of two. It is Swiss Water Processed, a clean, natural process for extracting caffeine from our beans.
Origin: Brazil
Region: Sul de Minas
Farm: Our Family's Farms
Relationship: Family
Process: Natural Processed, Swiss Water Process Decaffeination
Varietal: Peaberry
Our Notes
This is Nossa's signature Brazilian decaffeinated coffee, which presents smooth, balanced chocolate and floral tones with a lingering sweetness.
Camila’s Organic
Camila’s Organic Italian dark roast is certified organic by Oregon Tilth. It’s a Guatemalan-breakfast style coffee with rich, intense flavors.
Origin: Peru (Union y Fe Cooperative)
Roast Level: Dark Italian roast
Cup notes: Rich, chocolatey body
Taste notes: Sweet with hints of floral undertones
Brewing method: French Press, Aeropress, Drip, Pour-over, and Chemex
Certified Organic by Oregon Tilth
Namesake
Founder’s daughter, Camila: Sweet and feisty.
Origin
Guatemala - Asociación Unión de Pequeños Caficultores (UPC)
Our Notes
A medium-dark organic roast. Rich chocolate body with sweet & floral undertones.
Delicia – Nossa Cares
Delicia is a medium roast with mild acidity. The coffee beans are sourced from the Carneiro estate in Sul de Minas and Cerrado de Minas. This coffee blend is best to drink black or with milk.
Origin: Brazil
Roast Level: Medium roast
Cup notes: Balanced and appealing, Sweet-toned with mild acidity
Taste notes: Sweet, chocolatey and nutty
Brewing method: French Press, Aeropress, Drip, Pour-over, and Chemex
Through the “Nossa Cares” giveback program, Nossa is donating coffee to local organizations providing food and care to those in need. For every pound of Delícia we sell, we’ll donate a pound to local nonprofit p:ear to serve during their meals to the Portland community.
ORIGIN Brazil
FARM Our Family's Farms
NOTES
Literally translating to “delicious,” Delícia is a balanced and appealing medium-roast coffee that is sweet, chocolaty and nutty. We use beans from our family's farm in the Cerrado Region of Brazil, known for fuller-bodied coffees with a higher degree of sweetness and lower acidity.
Ernesto’s House
Ernesto’s House coffee blend is an excellent, balanced medium roast coffee. The coffee beans used for this blend are sourced from the Carneiro farms in Sul de Minas and Cerrado de Minas.
Origin: Brazil
Roast Level: Medium roast
Cup notes: Balanced and well-rounded
Taste notes: Nutty with smooth and honey finish
Brewing method: Balanced espresso, Drip, Cold brew
Namesake
Grandfather Ernesto: well-balanced and full of character.
Origin Brazil
Farm Our Family's Farms
Our Notes
A well-rounded medium roast; nutty with a smooth, honey finish.
This roast works well as a balanced espresso or as a drip coffee. It also makes a delicious iced coffee.
Full Cycle
The Nossa Familia Full Cycle is a signature espresso blend of Brazilian coffee. This blend’s coffee beans are seasonally appropriate from other single-origin beans to give that bright and fruity characteristic you’ll love in every sip.
Origin: Brazil, Guatemala, and Nicaragua
Roast Level: Medium roast
Cup notes: Balanced with a bright. Fruity finish
Taste notes: Hints of chocolate and caramel
Brewing method: Balanced espresso, Drip, Cold brew
Full Cycle is the go-to signature espresso blend. Starting with a rich and chocolatey base of Brazilian coffee, Nossa adds seasonally appropriate coffees from other origins to lend their bright and fruity characteristics.
They worked to blend the most versatile coffee possible, one that works for everything from a straight espresso to a clean drip to a French press with a touch of cream. They are constantly striving to improve this blend, and its components are always changing, but the goal for Full Cycle is to keep its flavor profile consistently superb.
Coffee Components
Brazil - Fazenda Cachoeira (Pulped Natural)
Guatemala - San Miguel Escobar Cooperative (Washed)
Guatemala - Finca San Jerónimo Miramar (Washed)
Nicaragua - Finca San Jose de las Nubes
Our Notes
A delightful balance of chocolate and caramel, with a bright fruit finish. Perfect for espresso, drip or iced coffee.
Mathilde’s French Roast
Mathilde’s French Roast Familia coffee is a coffee blend that is not oily and doesn’t smell or taste burnt. It is sourced from one of the coffee farms the Carneiro family owns in Sul de Minas and Cerrado de Minas.
Origin: Brazil
Roast Level: Dark roast
Cup notes: Bold, dark chocolatey body with a smoky and smooth finish
Taste notes: Hints of dark chocolate
Brewing method: Drip, Moka pots, Aeropress (Not recommended for automatic coffee makers)
Namesake
Great Grandmother Mathilde: Bold, strong, full of life
Origin Brazil
Farm Our Family's Farms
Our Notes
Our dark and rich French roast. Roasty, but not oily or burnt. Bold, dark chocolate body with a smoky & smooth finish.
Teodoro’s Italian Roast
Nossa Familia Teodoro’s coffee blend is a “crowd pleaser” Italian roast. You can enjoy it black or with a touch of cream and sugar. It’s a fantastic roast in the morning for its intense and creamy flavors.
Origin: Brazil
Roast Level: Medium-Dark roast
Cup notes: Full-bodied with recognizable flavors of cocoa and roasted nuts
Taste notes: With hints of woody spice and almond
Brewing method: Drip, Chemex, French Press, Aeropress
NAMESAKE Uncle Teodoro: Diverse, complex
ORIGIN Brazil
FARM Our Family's Farms
NOTES
A full-bodied Italian, medium-dark roasted coffee, with flavors of cocoa and roasted nuts. Caramely qualities, notes of woody spice and hints of almond.
Teodoro’s is our "crowd pleaser," working well as a black coffee or with a touch of cream and sugar. It excels when prepared via drip or press pot.
What the Community Says about Nossa
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Alternatives
Volcanica carries over 130 different coffees including single origin, estate, peaberry, decaf and flavored coffees from all around the world. All of their coffees are fresh roasted in Atlanta, GA. Check out their Organic, Fair Trade, Shade Grown, and Low Acid Coffee varieties.
- The world's first carbon negative coffee: For every pound that’s sold, we donate a portion of the proceeds to fund reforestation in Ecuador’s Mindo cloud forest. Over time, these trees will remove 54 lbs. of CO2 from the atmosphere as well as provide habitat for native plant and animal species
- WHOLE BEAN COFFEE: 100% Organic Shade-Grown Arabica Coffee
- Cenfrocafe's investments in grower education and processing infrastructure (made possible by the above fair trade price premium we pay for this gem) have resulted in year after year improvements in quality and consistency
- Flavor Profile: Pleasing soft caramel like mouth feel balanced by elegant citrus acidity and a sweet, clean finish
- Craft Roasted in our vintage 90 kilo German-built Probat drum roaster retrofitted with modern fuel-efficient ribbon burners, delivering perfectly roasted coffee every time
- Unique Pentax Technology: Pentax Bright, fruit & cocoa, heavenly. Get a grip on this chocolaty, smooth blend. Don't hang in suspense, this blend reads like the manifesto of delicious coffee.
- Tasting notes, brew method: Silky and complex, wild berry syrup with a smooth cocoa finish. Recommended methods: French press, drip machine, pour over, espresso and cold brew.
- Origin Africa, Indonesia, Central & South America: Grown in a socially and environmentally responsible way, by farmers with sustainable businesses they can depend on.
- Organic, Fairtrade, Kosher, Shade Grown, Arabica coffee: Coffee that is good and fair for the coffee drinkers, the farmers and the planet. 100 % certified.
- Roasted in the Rocky Mountains: it’s all deep, dark and delicious, roasted right below the towering Canadian Rocky Mountain peaks.
Verdict
Nossa Familia Coffee is a B Corp coffee roaster in Portland that focuses on building positive and lasting relationships and environmental sustainability. They treat coffee growers as part of their family and extend support to people and organizations they’d think would make a difference.
Their coffee blends are deeply rooted in heritage. They celebrate the goodness of Brazil, Peru, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Kenya farm-direct coffees. No wonder, in terms of coffee quality, the three coffee shops where Nossa Familia Coffee usually serve their exceptional coffee is always a favorite spot for coffee lovers in Portland.
If you’re considering buying sustainable coffee, we highly recommend Nossa Familia.
Have you visited the Nossa Familia Coffee Portland cafes? What’s your favorite Nossa roast they offer? Please share with us your Nossa Familia experience in the comments below.
