In My Kitchen with Paula

Savouring Brazil: Cristina Dias on Coffee, Culture, and Connection

• Paula Mohammed

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What if your morning cup of coffee carried a century-old story of family, community, and connection?

In this episode, I sit down with Cristina Dias, founder of Mogiana Coffee in Vancouver, Canada whose family has been farming coffee in Brazil since 1890. We talk about legacy, sustainability, and how a simple cup of coffee can hold the spirit of a place, from the red soil of Minas Gerais to a roastery in Burnaby.

You’ll hear about:

☕ How Mogiana Coffee bridges Brazil and Canada through mindful business
 🌱 The social and environmental heartbeat of a family-run coffee farm
 🔥 The ritual of “cafezinho” and why Brazilians never say no to a drop-in coffee
 🇧🇷 Travel inspiration for exploring Brazil beyond Rio — from coastal towns to the coffee highlands

This episode will make you look at your morning brew a little differently; as an invitation to slow down, savour, and connect with the people and places behind every bean.

HELPFUL LINKS

🧑🏽‍💻 Visit www.mogianacoffee.com  to obtain your 20% discount on your first online order of Mogiana Coffee, use promo code: IMK2025
☕️ Resource:  Mogiana Coffee Learn page for step by step recipes, at exploreinmykitchen.com
🍽️ Casa Mineira: The Brazilian Sausages Cristina mentions (for our Canadian listeners)
📖 Read the beautiful article on Mogiana Coffee in Edible Magazine

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SAY HELLO

In My Kitchen creates connections one dish, one story, one journey at a time, by exploring culture through food. We do this through unique culinary workshops, speaking engagements, and of course, this podcast.

I'd love to hear from you! Connect with me in one of three ways:


Paula:

Hi, I'm Paula Mohammed and welcome to In My Kitchen with Paula. This podcast is a gathering place for culinary adventures who love to travel. Every week, we'll come together with chefs, cookbook authors, talented home cooks, and everyone in between to talk about their story and their unique dish using food as the vehicle will take a ride into the ins and outs of their culture and country. Come on, let's get this party started. Hi everyone, and welcome back to In My Kitchen with Paula Today we are going to Brazil through a cup of coffee. My guest is Cristina Dias, founder of Mogiana Coffee, right here in Metro Vancouver, Canada. Cristina's family actually has been growing coffee in Brazil since the 1890s. We do talk coffee, what specialty actually means, how she brought her family beans to Canada, and how Mogiana runs with real intention. But we also wander back to those long Brazilian summers on her grandparents' farm. Big midday lunches, grazing style barbecues, tiny cafezhino, coffees all day, and that very Brazilian hospitality where people just drop in and you make more coffee. If you've ever thought about traveling to Brazil or you just wanna understand the culture behind the beans you brew, this conversation is such a lovely window into the food rhythm and community of Minas Gerais So pour yourself something good and let's get into my conversation with Cristina Dias of Mogiana Coffee Welcome to the show, Cristina.

Cristina:

Thanks Paula. Thanks for having me.

Paula:

Cristina Dias is originally from Brazil, where her family has been farming coffee since 1890. In 2008, she founded Mogiana Coffee in Vancouver to share her family's specialty. Arabica Beans with the local coffee community in 2020. Cristina and her partner Carlos, opened a roastery and Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada, where the team now roasts both Mogiana's coffees and a range of private label roast for partners. When I think of Brazil, I actually immediately go back to my twenties when I discovered Capoeira written up in a magazine and I took up Capoeira. That's another story for another podcast, but uh, uh.

Cristina:

That you're brave. It's a very, very ha. It's very hard, very physical.

Paula:

I wasn't very good at it, but I invite my listeners to Google Capoeira. You'll see what I'm talking about. It's also a place I haven't traveled to, but I, I want to go to, and I think of it as a country deeply rooted in food, um, family, and of course coffee. When I was lucky enough to meet Cristina, we met through a organization for women in the food, beverage and hospitality industry called Les Dames d'Escoffier. Uh, I knew I was keen to have this chat with you and to get to know your story. And Brazil being the largest coffee producer in the world, I couldn't be more excited to have Cristina Dias with us today. So let's start with your story, Cristina, if you don't mind. What was it like growing up in Brazil? And if you don't mind sharing roughly the decades that we were, were talking about, that would be

Cristina:

Oh, I am dating myself

Paula:

I know, I know I give us a broad range, but just

Cristina:

Yeah. No, no, no, no. I'm just, I'm just teasing. Um, yeah, I, you know, when I think back to my childhood, I, I really think I was very blessed and, uh, I have very, very fond memories. Um, I didn't actually grow up at the farm. I grew up in Rio. My parents are, um, well not city people, but my dad's a professor of electrical engineering. My mom was, was a mom. She never worked, uh, while I was growing up. But my grandparents have the farm. So back then we would have a full three months vacation in the summertime. And a month's vacation in the wintertime. And all my vacation was spent at the farm. I practically lived at the farm for three months during the summer, one month in the winter. And it was just so blessed. It was, uh, you know, we didn't even have a television set in the farm until I was 11 years old. And we got it because, or they got it because my grandfather fell off a horse and he was gonna have to stay in bed for three weeks or something like that. So they decided to buy a television. My days there were, you know, just outside playing. I had my uncle and my aunt, which are very similar in, in age to me, because lots of kids, my grandparents had 10 kids. but then we also had the kids, the, the daughters and the sons of the people that work at the farm, the families, they all lived there in the, in the village. and it was just a really, it was just a really healthy way to grow up and, you know, learn to respect the land and have this, I, I love nature. I, I love being in nature. I think it comes from, from having grown up in, in the farm.

Paula:

it sounds idyllic. So would that have been the seventies and eighties?

Cristina:

this would've been, yeah, this would've been, like late seventies and, and eighties. and then I came here to Vancouver in 87 and 88.'cause my dad came to teach at UBC.

Paula:

Can you share a little bit about what your, meals were like, what some of the food was that was always present in your home, what that may have looked like, especially in those summers. I'm picturing a lot of grilling. I.

Cristina:

Yeah. the, the food in Brazil is, is very, very, very good. And we have a, a, an array of different foods, depending on which, which region you're, you go to. the region where our farm is, is called Minas. Minas Gerais is the name of the state. And the food from Minas is, quite well known, throughout because it's very diverse and it's really, really good. Of course being at the farm, everything was made from scratch. Absolutely everything. We had nothing processed. We, we had an orchard, for instance, with fruit trees. So when it was time for peaches, crates, and crates of peaches would arrive, and then I would have to be summoned and put to work because, you know, we, we, it wasn't just all play, you know, we had to help. So I helped lots making like, preserves and, compote. we did, you know, frozen corn, grape juice and, it was, we would spend literally like all morning sitting in a circle with my grandmother and folks that worked at the farm and my aunts and we would be like peeling peaches and taking the seeds out and, or whatever it is that we were doing. it was a really nice, um. I don't know. It just, you just bond. Right? And you sit there and chat and there were days when I was younger, there were days when I was like, ah, I wanna go play. But you know, you end up getting used to it. And then in the end, I, I actually really enjoyed being part of, of, uh, the making of jams and sweetss and stuff.

Paula:

I can just picture it. I picture lots of sunshine too, which would be lovely. Uh. I'm making an assumption that you, enjoy cooking now. would that be correct?

Cristina:

yes, yes. I do enjoy

Paula:

And I'm making that assumption because unfortunately I missed a potluck that we had with Les Dames and, but I remember you putting in the group chat that you were bringing a Brazilian, it was either Brazilian sausages or grilled meats or something. I thought, oh, I wish I could be there to try that.

Cristina:

Oh, it was the barbecue. Yeah. We have, uh, yeah, the, the, the Brazilian sausages that we use for barbecue are quite different than any sausage that you find here. and you can find them in Vancouver there. It's, uh, the brand is called Casa Mineira, they sell in a, in quite a few different places and it's, it's a really nice sausage for, for barbecuing?

Paula:

And do you just do it, on the grill?

Cristina:

on the grill. And if you want to squeeze a little lime juice on it after when it's ready, it just gives it that extra.

Paula:

Nice. And do you serve them a whole or do you slice them?

Cristina:

so when we have barbecues in Brazil, we typically are kind of, it's, it's almost as if we're nibbling all day long. It's, it's, uh, some people like to sit and make a plate, but that's not the us the usual barbecue. There's someone grilling and they're just like giving out pieces of meat and sausage and grilled vegetable or whatever it is, you know, and you're just, you're just there. You're picking a little bit here, picking a little bit there, having a Caipirinha, which is our national drink. It's more a grazing style,

Paula:

I'm always curious about, as I picture you on the, farm in the summers, what the routine or the daily meals look like, like breakfast, lunch, dinner, and then what that would look like when you were say in school. Is it, is it different? Do you go home for lunch?

Cristina:

So the good question, the bes at the farm were extremely regimental. We had, we woke up, we would have, the breakfast table would be set and it'd be coffee and milk and breads and cookies and jams, et cetera. We don't usually eat eggs. It's very rare to, or when I was a kid, we never ate eggs for breakfast. So this is like, I don't know, 7 30, 8 o'clock, whatever time we would wake up, my grandparents would wake up at five 30. But we didn't have, we weren't kicked out of bed that early. Lunch would be always at 1215 always. Lunch is always rice and beans. Rice and beans is the staple food of Brazil. So rice and beans, and then many different cooked vegetables. Some sort of protein, potatoes and a salad bowl, like with lettuce and carrots and whatever. Very diver like. There was always a lot of options, and I love that. I love that about the food on the farm, and then, so 1215 lunch and then four 30 there would be a coffee break with a little coffee and some cookies or maybe a cake. Coffee is taken in the morning, mid morning after lunch, mid-afternoon and for some people after dinner. But the way we drink coffee is a little bit different because we don't have huge mugs of coffee. We have, it's called Cafe zino, which means little coffee. The, the vessel, I guess the, the coffee cups are really tiny and we brew our coffee quite strong. Instead of having a large, not so strong coffee would have a small, very strong coffee, not strong like espresso, but you know, maybe in, in between espresso and in the drip coffee kind of thing.

Paula:

When you were off the farm at school, or a workday, is it similar in terms of meals?

Cristina:

Um, so in school, school in Brazil you go either in the morning or in the afternoon. You don't go all day like here. So I would always, I always went in the morning. So my school was from like seven 30 till 1230. You have a recess in the middle where you have a little snack and then you go home for lunch and then, yeah. And then in the afternoon I would have extra curricular activities like swimming and English lessons and music and ballet, whatever, but we would always go home for lunch it's a little bit different.

Paula:

Yeah, but that makes a lot of sense. Instead of trying to cram the extracurricular activities in after a full day of school, and then you're going to bed late at night and seems way more civilized. I, I miss, I cut you off before we got to the dinner. What dinner looks like,

Cristina:

Oh, dinner. Yeah, so dinner was around six 30 or at six 30 I should say. And when I was younger we used to have a full meal again, you know, like it would be a full meal for, for lunch and a full meal for dinner. As my grandparents started aging, they started eating less and less in the evenings. And then, um, the place where the farm is, is quite high in altitude, so it does get a little bit cooler in the evenings. It's a very mild temperature in the winter. It's actually quite cold. They started having just soup in the evening, in the latter years. Now it's like they just have soup and, and maybe, you know, a little bit of, uh, some, some bread that's, that's, uh, it's a little bit of a lighter meal

Paula:

What does, dinner look like, people? Yeah. Yeah.

Cristina:

Most Brazilians have lunch and dinner, like a full meal for lunch and dinner. We don't have, we don't really have, have of having like a sandwich. Um, some people may have a salad or, or something for, for lunch or for dinner. But they are meals. I mean, at least where I'm from, I guess, like for example, my partner Carlos says that in his household they always had, uh, like a full lunch, but then for dinner they would have, breads and charcot. Not sure, like ham and cheese and something a little bit more not a meal per se, but like, I don't know how to describe it. I don't.

Paula:

sounds

Cristina:

Yeah. Yeah. Something, some small plates. Yeah.

Paula:

So if you're planning on, traveling, you expect to eat lots it sounds like in uh,

Cristina:

Oh, but, and it's so good. The food's so flavorful. And if you go to the northeast, which is, places like, it's called Baia or Recife or like, it's right on the tip of Brazil. It has a very, very strong African influence from way back in the slave times. And there's lots of seafood stews, the food's a little bit more spicy, coconut milk. It's just, it's amazing. Every region has its own kind of personality, but you, you can expect to find something really tasty wherever you go.

Paula:

I just wanna talk a little bit more broadly about, the traditions and the food role plays in, in that. My quick little research tells me that, and I'm gonna pronounce this wrong, Brazil is famous for Chico and fta. Fa oh

Cristina:

Is it? Is it,

Paula:

Uh, F-E-I-J-O-A-D-A. Feijoada.

Cristina:

Yeah. So,

Paula:

are those? Yeah.

Cristina:

churrasco is, uh, kind of like an all you can eat barbecue. churrasco actually means barbecue, right? But we have these restaurants called churrascorias, you go, basically you go, you sit down, you have a big salad buffet that you can help yourself from, and then you have, the servers. They come around with big skewers with the meat on the skewer, and they slice them right on your plate. And you have anywhere from beef, chicken, pork, uh, lamb, sausages, there's a lot of different options. There's one in Bellevue, which is a, an international chain called Fogo de Chao if you wanna try ever a traditional Brazilian churasscoria, that's an amazing one. Very good. Yeah.

Paula:

Would, local Brazilians go out to a, um, a Choco

Cristina:

A lot. Yes. But the difference is, and it's really interesting because we always laugh because, in Brazil. We would never go, churasscaria for dinner. It's a lunch thing because you eat so much that it's not something you would do in the evening. But here it's funny because people don't really go for lunch. So when you go to churrasceria here, the lunch price is less expensive than the dinner price. So for us Brazilians, it's like, oh, excellent.

Paula:

Are there particular celebrations or holidays in Brazil? I'm sure there are where food plays a major role.

Cristina:

I think the main thing is like on Good Friday, because it's a very Catholic country. On Good Friday, we're not supposed to eat red meat. So we usually have bacchalau, which is like the salted cod from Portugal. It's very traditional to have that on Good Friday. Other than that, and that maybe like a, we don't really have as strong, a culture for Christmas as, as here, like the Turkey dinner. Some people make Turkey, some people make ham. There, there isn't really one set thing. But I do wanna talk about the Fejoiada because ADA Fejoiada a very interesting cultural aspect as well because, the Fejoida is basically black beans with a whole bunch of different meat cuts cooked in it, and it's slow cooked. So usually you spend a whole day cooking and then you eat the next day. That's the best way. The interesting thing about this dish is it started with slavery way back when because, I mean, it's kind of sad, but it is the way the dish started, the slaves were given the lesser cuts of the animals. So the traditional Fejoida will have pig's, ear and pig's feet, and the other, uh, regular, but that's, that's how the dish actually came to be, was because the slaves were given these, these lesser cuts. They would throw it in with the beans, and then it actually created this amazing, this amazing meal. It's funny because nowadays, uh, you know, some people don't like to eat these parts and a lot of the Fejoida only has, you know. Better cuts, but the, the tastier ones will have this, the pig's ears and the pig's feet thrown in it, even if they take them out afterwards. But for the flavor is better when you have all that stuff thrown in there.

Paula:

And would you have that dish just on its own or would there always be like a, the salad that, uh, comes with it, or, or

Cristina:

yeah. No, you have, uh, so you have rice, and then the, the Fejoida and then kale usually like chopped up kale and stir fried. And Rafa, which is another big staple food of Brazil, Rafa, is basically, cassava flour. But not, it's not, um, how do I explain it? Because there's different grinds of cassava flour. It's not a flour super thin like a baking flour. It's more like a, almost like a cornmeal texture. And then we take that and we put like a whole bunch of butter and onions on a frying pan, and then we fry this flour with all this flavor, and it becomes this crunchy, this crunchy, savory thing that you throw on top of the beans and it's very delicious.

Paula:

sounds great.

Cristina:

Yeah, it's really delicious.

Paula:

Do you find it here in Vancouver?

Cristina:

Yeah. Yeah. There's a lot of, there are quite a few Latin stores that, that you would be able to find it in. Yeah. And if you wanna try it, there's a great little restaurant called Boteco, B-O-T-E-C-O, uh, Boteco Brazil. They are on Nanaimo and Broadway, and they have. All sorts of Brazilian, Brazilian food, and they do a good job. It's a very small place. They have Brazilian live music in the evenings. Not every night, but you can check out their website. They've got it listed, so, so it's a neat little place to experience a little bit of Brazilian culture. It's very casual, not fancy, very casual, but the food's good.

Paula:

We touched on this a little bit earlier, but if there's anything more to add the, the ritual of coffee in the day-to-day life in Brazil. We talked about the number of times it's had through the day. What would be served with it? I can see, that there must be a lot of connection that happens around coffee. Do you do Brazilians drink alone?

Cristina:

yeah, no, it's funny because, Brazilians have this habit of dropping in, you know, like showing up in someone's home, just Oh, dropping in, Anytime you drop into someone's house, oh, let me make a little coffee. There's always coffee. Like anytime you go somewhere, they will offer you a coffee. And sometimes it's served with just a little cookie on the side. Sometimes it's just coffee. But you can't go anywhere without people offering you a coffee. And in fact, it's funny because, I was in Brazil recently and I, I had to go to a store to buy something. It was a clothing store and, uh. While I was shopping, it's like, oh, can I offer you a coffee? Like they offer you a coffee while you're shopping? I was like, yeah, okay, sure. So they made me this espresso shot with beans that they had purchased from these women in Minas Gerais, which is my region. And it was actually really lovely. I was laughing'cause I thought, oh my gosh, like, you know, when would you go shopping here? And they would offer you a coffee, right? So it's, yeah. So it's, it's a huge part of our culture. Huge.

Paula:

We touched on the role of hospitality. Uh, you just mentioned there that people always drop in. Is there more that you can add to that in terms of, as a traveler, I'm jumping now to picturing my trip to Brazil that I'd like to do one day. can I expect what are some things that you would share with me about what that experience might be like? When meeting locals there.

Cristina:

Brazilian people are very, very hospitable, very welcoming and super friendly. You can be sure that you will feel welcome in, in Brazil, it's, it's not like, you know, some countries that, oh, they don't like tourists. No, it's in Brazil's the opposite. We love tourists. We love, they love trying to speak English, they will always welcome you and they're helpful, you know, if you're asking for directions and stuff like that. And one funny thing about Brazilians is that, they seem like they're your best friends right away. You know, like you meet somebody, you meet somebody and it's oh, come over. Like people, people open up their homes very fast. It's, quite different than, than here. For instance, you know, where you have to know someone for a while before you will get invited. There is like, it's super fast. People usually, oh, come on over, come for coffee, you know?

Paula:

It must have been such a change for you or is still a change for you living in Vancouver, we don't have that, um, people don't like drop-ins in Vancouver,

Cristina:

No they don't. No, they don't. Not at all. Not at all. It's so

Paula:

change that.

Cristina:

It's even a joke, isn't it? Like, no, no po no popping by. No, don't drop by. It was, it was very, it was quite an adaptation when I, when I first came, it was, it was hard. Um, even. Like, when I moved here by myself without my family, it was very difficult. When I was here with my family, it was for a determined period of time, so it wasn't so hard. And I had my family with me, even though it was just my, my immediate family. But afterwards it was, it was hard because I, I basically left everybody behind, right? It was just me and, uh, and even though I had already lived here, it was, it, it's very different. I'm used to it now, you know? Uh, now, now probably, I don't like the pop-ins either,

Paula:

I'm always, I'm, I'm always curious about what makes us tick. And, I wonder why we're like that versus, most of the rest of the world when I do these interviews, it's a drop in culture and, we don't have that.

Cristina:

yeah, I don't know. Is it that most people, most places are drop-ins? I don't know.

Paula:

Well, I

Cristina:

like that in the US either.

Paula:

no, I, no, no, no. Not North America.

Cristina:

I would imagine it's from our heritage or from the heritage that created North America, which is more British and Irish and Scottish, like the British kind of,

Paula:

More standoff. Proper standoffish.

Cristina:

Right. I, I think, I don't know, because that's, the, the basis of North America came from, from Bri Britain, Britain, right.

Paula:

Yeah, yeah. No, you're right. That's probably what it is. Yeah, it's interesting, especially as we hear more and more through that Blue Zone documentary about the importance of connecting and community and things like

Cristina:

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Paula:

Any tips on,, any cultural etiquette that I and my listeners should be aware of if and when we go to Brazil?

Cristina:

Absolutely no burping.

Paula:

Oh, really?

Cristina:

It's considered very rude. We're quite picky with table manners in Brazil, so don't eat with your elbow on your table. Don't burp, don't chew with your mouth open. Just, yeah, those, those basic things we're, we're quite picky. It's, it's funny,

Paula:

when you talk about, you know, eating meat grazing and it's a more casual way of eating, yet you have these, manners that Yeah, I love it. Okay. It's so, it doesn't turn into a, a sloppy frenzy probably. It keeps everyone civilized. And besides Rio and Sao Paulo, which I think most people, when they think about a trip to Brazil, probably pop into their minds. What are some destinations in Brazil that you think we may not think of all the time, but, but really should put on our itinerary.

Cristina:

I would not recommend Sao Paulo as a destination. Sao Paulo is, if you're into culture and good food, which I mean, I know our listeners are probably gonna all be into good food. Sao Paulo has some amazing restaurants, but it is not an attractive city. It's hard to get around. There's constant traffic jams, like crazy traffic gs. I think all of Brazil has amazing food. I, I really would recommend, like I Rio is good because it does have a little bit of traffic jam. It's a big city, but it's beautiful. Like the natural setting of Rio is absolutely stunning. And you can do hiking, you can go to the beach, you can experience good food. The northeast of Brazil is another like, really, really nice place because it has also the, it's kind of like I would compare it to going to Mexico maybe. But not Cancun, Mexico with the all inclusives more like the b and b on the, on the beach side and, and the coast of Brazil is huge, so you have lots of different spots that you can go. Natal is one that's quite prop popular. And then in the center of Brazil you have the Pantanal, which is the swampy lands. And there's a place there called bonito, which means beautiful. And it does justice to the name. It is a beautiful place of like rivers and you can go swimming and lots of fish and blue see-through waters, you know, like, it's, it's quite beautiful. There's so much to see in Brazil. I haven't even been to so many places because every time I go, I end up going to Rio and the farm to see my family. And I, I don't really make it anywhere else, but yeah. Lots of beautiful places to visit.

Paula:

And Brazil, has historically had a, reputation for not being safe in certain

Cristina:

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Paula:

tips or, what are your thoughts or

Cristina:

It is true, especially if you're in the big cities, lots of pickpockets. So don't wear jewelry, don't walk around with your phone. Do not ever put your phone in your back pocket. It will be gone in two minutes. The good old fanny pack that's like close to your body and hard to drag away is definitely the way to go. For example, if we go to the beach in Rio. We usually just take like a little drawstring bag with flip flops, suntan lotion, and sunglasses and, and you know, a little bit of cash. And that's it. Because I mean, of course you can take your phone, depending on where you are, you don't wanna be like walking around looking at your phone or whatever. You just want to leave it in your bag. And then if you stop somewhere, you can use it. But there are little, basic, basic, uh, I guess safety tricks for not getting mugged.

Paula:

Now I have to ask you, does your family coffee farm have a name? I keep calling it the farm,

Cristina:

It does. I don't use it very often because it is a hard one. It's called cash Grandma.

Paula:

cash? De Grandma,

Cristina:

That, that's really good. It means it, uh, cast means waterfall, grandma means grass. So I'm not quite sure where the name came from. And then there's another farm called, which means, recess. Like recess in school. Like taking a break. Yeah.

Paula:

If it's not on Cdo de Grandma on your farm, are there other places where people could maybe come and visit or do a tour

Cristina:

The farm, the, yeah. We, we don't really have like open tours. We just do tours for people that are like interested in buying coffee or if I have someone with me that I'm bringing. I don't know if there are any coffee farms that are like super open.

Paula:

Or any culinary experiences?

Cristina:

Well, there is actually, this farm, uh, k grandma does have, uh, like a, a few chalets that are, that can be rented out and I think they are on Airbnb. But the reason why I hesitate is because they were put together a few years back and then they decided not to do it. I think maybe it was around COVID, they closed it down and then just recently they've reopened. I would have to check, but I think there is a little bit of a restaurant, people would be able to rent out an Airbnb and it's right in the farm, like right in the village.

Paula:

Oh, that would

Cristina:

um, yeah.

Paula:

What inspired you to start Mogiana Coffee?

Cristina:

My family had always farmed coffee since 1890, but nobody had ever, roasted and, and worked with packaged goods, you know, like, the end product itself. And in 2000, more or less, one of my cousins opened up a roaster in Brazil and started roasting our farms coffee. And, and he started doing really well. And so during one of my trips back, I, I got to chatting with him and I was like, oh, this is really cool. This is really interesting. I was never interested in farming, so I had never thought of, working with my family's products, but then I had never thought of manufacturing or processing the product that we grow. That was the seed. That was the first seed. And then from then, I started researching and then I ended up bringing a little bit of his coffee, to Vancouver, so that to friends and family. And then my brother in Portland, got interested as well. And then he ended up opening his coffee business prior to me. And then he, he started doing really well and he's like, it works. You gotta quit your job. You gotta do it. So then I finally took the plunge in 2008. I got the guts to, to do it, but I did have a, uh, you know, a lot of support, moral support from my brother and some help from my parents, because I had two kids at the time. It was, it was a big commitment to quit my job and start something from scratch.

Paula:

What's the significance of the name? Mogiana

Cristina:

Mogiana is the name of the valley where our farm is. The region, there's some different regions for growing coffee and, it's called Alta Mojiana or Mojiana Valley. So that's kind of where the, the farm is located. There is also a green, an Arabica varietal called Mojiana, but we, we got the name from the valley.

Paula:

So coffee beans have, different varietals. Like, like vineyards.

Cristina:

So the two that people know most of is Arabica and Robusta, Robusta is a little bit lower quality in terms of, flavor notes and what the coffee can bring out. Arabica is the most known one, but underneath Arabica you have dozens and dozens of, of sub varietals. Um, so we work, for example, with yellow bourbon, red Bourbon, ua, Mundo. Novo is another one. So lots of sub varietals under Arabica.

Paula:

One of our, original In My Kitchen host when we used to do the in-person experiences, uh, it was the first time I ever met a, olive oil sommelier.

Cristina:

Yes. Uhhuh,

Paula:

you, do you have that in the coffee world as well?

Cristina:

Yeah. Yeah. Well, we call it the, the tasting of coffee is called coffee cupping. So it's very specific. You have to do it in a very specific way. Basically because if, for example, if we're importing coffee, or if my family's selling coffee to me or to someone in Africa or in Europe or in Japan, we wanna make sure that everybody that's tasting the coffee has the same parameters so that we're being fair to the coffee. Right? So the SCA, which is the Specialty Coffee Association, has the guidelines on, on how to cup, uh, and then you can score the coffee accordingly. And this is actually something that we, we really like to, to tell people about is the meaning of specialty coffee. Because you see a lot of words out there, you know, Arabica and specialty and gourmet, and. Premium, all that kind of stuff. And, and it's a little bit, it's, it's a little bit not confusing sometimes I think it's, it's unfair to the consumer

Paula:

It goes over my head, like I, it doesn't influence me at all because I don't know what it

Cristina:

what it means. Yeah. So, so basically when we cup coffee, we give it a score depending on, sweetness and mouth feel and acidity and brightness and, there's 10 basically 10 different things that we test, that we're evaluating when we're cupping. So we, we give it a score. If the score is above 80, then it's a specialty coffee. If the score is below 80, then you have different segments. So, um, I believe it was below specialty, you have gourmet, and then below gourmet you have premium. And then below premium you have. When we talk about, coffee, we, my partner Carlos, used to be a chef, so he does a lot of food analogies, which is a, I find it, it's brilliant because people can relate. When he talks about Arabica, he compares the Arabica to a cow. So a cow only has one strip loin, one tenderloin, one ribeye, and then there's the rest of the cow. Because you see there's 100 hundred percent Arabic Mac Cafe, a hundred percent Arabica Tim Horton's, a hundred percent Arabica Mogiana coffee. What's the difference? The difference is that we are the tenderloin and the ribeye, and then they are the ground beef, let's say.

Paula:

Got

Cristina:

of the analogy.

Paula:

Oh, that helps. That's super helpful.

Cristina:

Yeah.

Paula:

I have so many questions around coffee. It could turn into a whole other podcast, do you ever go into a Starbucks and get a coffee to go or.

Cristina:

Not if I can help it.

Paula:

When I did a kitchen renovation, I had a Italian tiler come, he just happened to be Italian and he was doing the backsplash. We got to chatting and he was telling me how he quit smoking. He was a smoker for many, many years, but uh, his vice now is coffee. And he said, and he really walked me through, the Italian percolator and, and how to brew it and all that. And that is now my regime. Whereas before I would just do the Keurig. I can't drink the Keurig coffee now because I love this. And he told me which coffee beans to use. Is your morning routine a, a quick coffee or do you have a ritual that you go through step by step for every time you have coffee throughout the day?

Cristina:

I have a morning routine, which has become so, autopilot that I don't even think about it anymore, but I do make pour over coffee. And to a lot of people, this is like something they would only do on the weekend because it is a little bit more time consuming. But I got so used to it, I'm doing it while I'm doing something else. And, um, you know, I already know how fast I need to pour the water. I have my scale with the timer and, it's just, it has become second nature. It is a pretty special way of making coffee. And it extracts. The cough is so nice if, but you have to do it right because if you like. Pour the water and then you go do something else, make your eggs, and then you, you, you miss the timing of when you have to do the second pour. Your coffee will be bitter'cause it will over extract. So it is a little bit of a finicky method. You have to like, kind of be a little bit more diligent towards it. That's why most people will just do it like on the weekend when they have more time to pay attention. But yeah, that's the way I make my coffee every morning.

Paula:

For my listeners, uh, Cristina has shared, a link which will be at explore In My Kitchen dot com for the step-by-step method for doing a proper pour over coffee, which I am going to try with, mogiana coffee beans. And also, you shared a great link on your Mogiana website with a variety of different methods for making coffee. So I'll put that in the show notes too.

Cristina:

The most important thing, like whenever people are brewing coffee, the most important thing is to have the correct coarseness of grind because, uh, each, each brew method has a different time that the water is in contact with the coffee, the fastest the water goes through the coffee, the finer the grind so that you can extract everything that you need to extract. The trick to brewing the perfect cup is to not extract too much because then you, you start extracting bad organic acids that will give you the bitterness. So there's a fine line between coarseness water temperature and how fast the water's going through the coffee. You were mentioning that after your Italian experience that you can't go back to Keurigs coffee is very much like wine. I find like, you know, people, people mention that once you start drinking good wine, you can't go back. It's the same with coffee. You, your palate develops in a way that you appreciate the nuances, you appreciate the body and the, all the flavor notes, and it's just, um, you know, um, yeah. And I, and you know, like you were asking about Starbucks. If I'm away in a trip and there's nothing else, I will drink a Starbucks, but I have to drink it with milk. I can't. The roasting, the roasting style of Starbucks is too dark. I just don't enjoy that darker roast.

Paula:

That's a good point. In Brazil when you're drinking coffee, is it typical to not have milk? Would that be like a no-no. You're, you're changing the flavor profile.

Cristina:

No, um, we, people drink in all sorts of different ways. So we have, we have the cafe au lait, I guess would be the equivalent. Coffee with, with milk ha kind of half and half. You have the coffee that's just black and you most people drink coffee with sugar. No milk, but sugar. And some people even brew their coffee with sugar already in it, which is terrible. But.

Paula:

Yeah, it sounds good though. I don't wanna start adding sugar because right now I don't, and as soon as I get that taste back, I'm gonna want

Cristina:

No, no, no, no. Don't add sugar if like, once, once your palate gets used to, to drinking it black. When you add sugar, it tastes so terrible. But it's hard. It's hard. Like I, I know the other way is hard because I used to drink my coffee with sugar way back when and uh, you know, it takes a while for, for you to get used to not having sugar. But,

Paula:

It took, it took me a long time. I actually remember Cristina, my very first cup of coffee and it was on a visit to New Zealand, or perhaps it was when we were moving there. So I would've been eight or nine. And we were at my Aunt Lynn's home, uh, uncle, Graeme and Auntie Lynn. And I had a cup of coffee in the morning we were so jet lagged. And I think about it, it was instant coffee. It was in a, and I remember it was in a beautiful little ceramic cup, but it had lots of sugar in it and milk. So of course I loved it. And then

Cristina:

of course you did.

Paula:

and then the rest of that summer, I would join my grandparents for, morning coffee with the Sugar Instant Co. Yeah. That I evolved from, uh, you know, instant coffee. Now, like you said, your palate changes. I wanna go back to the coffee farm because, we were just chatting about this article, but I read a great article in Edible Magazine. So this is a free magazine that we get here in Vancouver, which is fantastic, full of great articles and recipes. And it, this article is written by Jo-Anne Lauzer and I was fascinated to read about the social environmental initiatives that you're Family Coffee Farm started. I just was blown away to the extent of a community that was built around this farm. And I was just wondering if you could tell us a little bit more about that. And I'll also put, a link to this article in the show notes because I, I thought it was just a beautifully written article with wonderful pictures and I felt like I was visiting the farm when I read that article.

Cristina:

Oh, that's lovely. Yeah, I would love to share more about that because it's a big point of pride for us. The coffee that we work with is very high quality. And it's a great product, but the community that produces this coffee is, is really what drives us and, and what makes it so beautiful. My family has always been, uh, extremely conscious of social and environmental, needs and, uh, working in a way that the, that maintains the farm sustainable for future generations. So they saw, first of all, the importance of treating employees and staff very well. So we have housing for the people that work for us. So they have a fully fitted house. And, you know, being from a first world country, sometimes we don't appreciate how important that is. Uh, coffee growing communities are very poor, especially if you look at Central America and Africa. They're, they're extremely poor. We wanted to always make sure that the families that were working for us had, a good living. They have free housing with running water, electricity. There's a school, there has always been a school for the kids and health clinics, and we have social events. The farm has a soccer team, and this is not mandatory. This is something they like to do. So they have a soccer team. They play every Sunday against other farms. In the. Mid eighties, early nineties. My uncle, saw that there were a lot of kids that were in the region that were not getting an education because they couldn't get to the city. The city's not that far, but there were, there was no public transportation, in this rural area. He talked to the mayor in the city and they, they had this project where we donated the land and the city built a municipal school right in our farm. And this school is fantastic. The kids, it, it now has education from kindergarten to grade 12. The kids got a full meal when they're in school and, they learn how to grow their own organic vegetables. At one point we had almost 700 kids going to school there from our farm and neighboring farms. I get goosebumps when I talk about this school'cause it's such a fantastic product project. And you know what, what we've noticed is that, you don't get, this stuck in a rut cycle of children, of people that work in the farm, not having an opportunity to do something else because they don't have an education and they end up farming. So we have a lot of children from the families that work at our farm that have gone to university and have moved to the city. Some of them choose to stay at the farm, but then it's their choice. You know what I mean? The education and the social aspects are, are amazing. And then, on the environmental side. The main things are using the coffee husks for fertilizing the soil. We treat the wastewaters before it goes back to the streams. 20% of our farm is kept as native forests, so we have amazing biodiversity. And, uh, in the 1950s, my family installed a water power generator, so we're off the power grid for 11 months out of the year. So all these things make, you know, it's, and I remember as a kid, Paula, I would be driving around the farm with my grandfather and he would be like, oh yeah, I, I planted all these, these, trees here because in 30 years they're gonna just look beautiful. And I'm like, oh my God, how can, like, how can you look that far ahead? Right? So the, the, he's always had this, this vision of like, you know, making things beautiful for the future. And, it's very inspiring.

Paula:

That, that is really amazing. The whole school aspect of it, especially like the ripple effect and the impact that, the farm has is, mind blowing. to really think about what is the company doing or what are their practices to create this product that we're consuming, it's never really hit home as much as hearing the impact of, of what you just said and the number of lives that, that, that's changing

Cristina:

Mm-hmm. Yes. A lot of times we're so, we're so, removed from what we're consuming. It makes it really special I, I mean, I, I like it when I hear a story about a product that I consume that has this kind of, impact,

Paula:

Tell me about the traceability of the product of Mogiana Coffee and how and why that's so important to you as well.

Cristina:

So for us, the traceability is fairly simple because we buy 98% of the coffee we use, we buy from our farm direct. We see how it's being processed. We, we see who, who's planting it, and from there it goes to the export company, which is also, a more distant cousin of mine that runs. It's like the whole chain is kind of like in the family. I have very big trust in, in how the whole process is, is done, in terms of looking for it in other products. That's a very good question because, I know we, if we're talking about coffee specifically. I know a lot of other coffee roasters are developing these direct, direct trade they call it, where they go to the farms, they have a relationship with the producer and they bring the coffee that they've been working with this, this specific producer. I think we are the only roaster in Vancouver and maybe even in bc I don't know in Canada, but I think we, in BC for sure, we are the only roasters that have this direct family connection with the farm. Unfortunately if we look in general in products, there's a lot of marketing sometimes and it's difficult for the consumer to, pinpoint exactly what's marketing and what's not marketing. I think if someone is, is passionate about, being true to what they're consuming and really finding out it's basically going to the products website, reading a little bit more about it, if they have questions, reach out. We, we do get people calling us and, and sending emails on info once in a while. It's great because it gives us an opportunity to connect directly we have a, a short video on our, on our website on the main page. There's a short one minute video that gives you a little glimpse of the farm. And, and there's a, a filming of the school and it ends with me serving coffee to my grandmother and mom and Carlos.

Paula:

Oh my

Cristina:

my, yeah, so it gives you a little bit of a snippet.

Paula:

I think there's a documentary here. I really do. I think there's a story here that needs to be told worldwide. Now your father is still, on the farm, right?

Cristina:

Grandparent, so my grandparents turned 100 this year. The,

Paula:

are still,

Cristina:

my, yeah, my grandparents are still alive. They both turned a hundred this year. I mean my, they're, they're fairly healthy still, you know, for a 100-year-old. But what's most incredible is that their minds are really, really sharp still. Like they, you know, one's hard of hearing the other one doesn't see so well and, you know, the, the, um, getting up and, and walking around is a little bit hard for my grandfather'cause he is got some hip issues. But his, his mind is, is really, he's still, he's still with it and he still knows what's going on. He still likes to go, out and, you know, have a look around the farm and what's going on. It's basically my uncles are now more involved in the day-to-day operations. Yeah.

Paula:

In your opinion, what is it that you think has kept your grandparents, so vital

Cristina:

I don't know if you watch that documentary on Netflix called The Blue Zones. I watched that and I was like, oh my God. They tick pretty much every box. It's like, it's like good nutrition, no nothing processed. Lots of family and endearment and connection and community, being active, you know, they're never like, they're always doing something, you know? They pretty much tick every box, even, it's, uh, you can say, oh, it's good genes. My grandfather has very good genes. My grandmother not so much, and she turned a hundred. So I, I do think that the, the lifestyle definitely has a play in it.

Paula:

Is that common in Brazil in general, or is that because they're on the farm? I visualize Brazilian culture being full of connection around the table and good meals. Is that, am I glorifying it or is

Cristina:

No, no, no. We, we do have family is, is very strong in Brazil, like families and getting together and, it's something that's definitely a, a big part of our livelihood. But I, I think, you know, you don't see a lot of people going, pa going to a hundred years. So I do think that the farm, like the farm life helps there for sure. But the community is something that's very strong in our country.

Paula:

And having the initiatives like the school, there's a sense of, purpose and, impact as well, which must, must play a role in it.

Cristina:

Mm-hmm.

Paula:

Going back to Mogiana, I can only assume that these values and vision that your grandfather, and family have instilled, have carried through to your own business. Can you talk a little bit about what that looks like for you with Mogiana Coffee?

Cristina:

Absolutely. my values have been instilled in me by all of this that I had when I was growing up. I have a very, very good relationship with everybody that works, with me, whether they're staff, whether it's suppliers, customers. So we have a very good, we have very good reviews in terms of customer service. We're always. Trying to go above and beyond to make sure that our customers are well served and happy that we are educating them and, uh, giving them the information they need. Um, we also do a lot, we do community, some community events. We do a lot of donations, unfortunately we don't have deep pockets to do cash donations, but we're always doing, gift baskets and gift certificates and in kind donations, to help out with charity events. In terms of, environment, we, here at the Roastery, we bought a roaster, that is called Loring is the brand. Loring is a roaster made in California, and it's the most eco-friendly roaster in the market because it uses 80% less gas, natural gas and emits 80% less, uh, pollutants to the air. It's kind of like having a Tesla without Elon, but sorry, I couldn't help that. The other roasters are very power hungry and, uh, you know, they, they use a lot of natural gas. So that, that was one of the things because the, the roaster we bought costs a lot more than the other roaster. So it was kind of a, very conscientious effort to carry on the environmental sustainability that we have at the farm. We also have a zero waste program, and we're all, we're now 98%, zero waste. I guess. It's the garbage that goes to the landfill is usually around between two and three kilos per week. So it's very small footprint, in terms of what we're throwing away. Everything else is recycled or composted. Yeah, just the way we operate is always, um, being, being sure that we're treating people well and, giving them our very good product.

Paula:

For our listeners who may not be familiar with Brazilian coffee, how would you describe its flavor profile as it being different from other regions?

Cristina:

Mm-hmm. That's a

Paula:

the largest producer, it's probably most of what we drink, isn't it?

Cristina:

Well, it is, it is in blends, actually. Main flavors from Brazilian coffee is chocolate and nutty. It actually is used in most espresso, espresso blends have,, a good part of a good chunk of Brazil beans because of this beans layer. Um, and then if you look at coffees from Africa, they're usually more Floral, more berry, and then coffees from, central America have more citrus notes. Some of them are a little bit chocolate as well, but Brazil is mainly chocolate and nutty. Recently though we have been experimenting with different drying methods. We are seeing some beans from Brazil that have a little bit more. Exotic notes, but the majority is chocolatey and nutty. And it's actually a, a really pleasant, you know, if you look at the majority of coffee drinkers, that's probably what they would be looking for. It's chocolatey and nutty.

Paula:

Cristina is kindly offering a 20% discount on, uh, for my listeners, on your first online purchase of Mogiana a coffee using the code IMK 2025. So we'll put that in the show notes. And on that note, where, where do you ship? Is it just in Canada? Is it North America?

Cristina:

We ship mainly in Canada. We do have a, a, a couple of people from the US that purchase our coffee. Mostly, mostly BC but we do ship some to Ontario as well.

Paula:

Last question or thought. What's your fondest memory of your time on your family farm?

Cristina:

Oh my gosh. I have so many, but I, I, I think, I think there are two, I think the biggest one is me driving around with my grandfather. Like, anytime I would go, he would take me and take me around the farm and show me everything that he was doing, everything that was going on. I have amazing memories of, of him and, and of that, yeah, I think I'll, I'll, that, that's my favorite. I mean, I was gonna say also, like, you know, sitting around and doing the sweets, that's, that's another, those two I guess would be my fondest memories. Yeah. Yeah.

Paula:

thanks for sharing. This with us, Cristina your, the family farm and your story. It's been super

Cristina:

Such a, such a pleasure. I have become very nostalgic, but

Paula:

I know I have too, and I,

Cristina:

Oh, I love it.

Paula:

For people who want to learn more about Mogiana and yourself, where can they go to, to do that?

Cristina:

Yeah, so, visit our website. If you have questions, you can reach out via email. Our roastery is in Burnaby near Royal Oak SkyTrain Station, and we are open to the public. We don't have a coffee shop. We are not, we don't have the zoning here to serve coffee, but we do sell coffee beans out of here. When people come, if we have time, we tour around. If we don't have time, we ask them to come back later. Everybody's welcome to come here to, to buy coffee Beans direct

Paula:

Great. And I do recommend going to, Mogiana's website because there's, a lot of information there

Cristina:

and we're also available in quite a few grocery stores that you can find the list on our website as well. But, I always like to mention here because if people are around, we do get quite a few people that are, that come here to buy direct.

Paula:

Right. Well, thank you so much, Cristina. It's been such a pleasure to, do this. And, I want to extend an invitation to drop in on my home anytime. But the only caveat is you,

Cristina:

I have to bring my own

Paula:

you bring your own coffee

Cristina:

That sounds good. That sounds good. Thanks, Paula. Thank you so much for having me. It was a, a pleasure chatting.

Paula:

Uh, Christina's great. So much fun, to have that chat with her and I really hope we start doing more drop-ins and, we share some coffees with more friends, people we meet and creating more. Wonderful connections. Thanks so much for listening again to In My Kitchen with Paula. If you love this conversation and wanna keep exploring food, culture and connection through travel, head over to explore In My Kitchen dot com. You'll find more recipe stories and of course all of our podcast episodes, and it really helps us. With our podcast to get it out there. If you can like and review us on Apple Podcasts, we really appreciate it. Until next time, slow down, savour and smile. I'll see you In My Kitchen. Okay.

Contributor

Paula Mohammed

Host