A Decade with Fazenda Progresso

Published on

17 Jun, 2026

Late last year, we travelled to Bahia in Brazil, to taste and select our favourite coffees from the most recent harvest. It’s a trip that our team makes every year – but this trip was particularly special, because it marked 10 years of working with Fazenda Progresso, a beautiful, family-owned estate that is set in the heart of Chapada Diamantina, near the town of Mucugê.

Chapada Diamantina is one of those places that stays with you long after you leave. Set on a sweeping highland plateau in the heart of Bahia, it is a place of magnificent natural beauty, framed by striking sandstone mountains and dramatic cliff formations.

The region’s name, Chapada Diamantina, translates to “Diamond Plateau”; a reference to the diamonds discovered there in the 19th century. Bahia’s diamond industry drew thousands of people to this remote part of Brazil and shaped the towns that developed around it. One of these towns, located very close to Fazenda Progresso, is Mucugê. It’s impossible not to fall in love with this charming place – its cobbled streets are quiet and unhurried, lined with brightly coloured buildings that have been carefully restored.

The Borré family have been farming in Chapada Diamantina since the 1980s and began growing coffee in 2005. Initially, they planned to produce commercial grade coffee, but after a few years they recognised that the growing conditions – high elevations, plentiful rainfall and rich soil – were ideal for producing higher quality, more distinctive coffees. They set their sights on the specialty market.

The farm’s transition to specialty coffee production was overseen by Fabiano Borré, the family’s youngest son, working in the business. When we first met Fabiano, we were instantly drawn to his energy and passion. He was relatively new to specialty coffee at the time, and deeply curious, excited to produce coffees that reflected and celebrated the region.

From the beginning, Fabiano surrounded himself with an exceptional team and sought advice from some of the most respected professionals in the field. Among them was our dear friend and supply parter in Brazil, Silvio Leite. Silvio has a deep appreciation for, and understanding of, Brazilian coffee. He co-founded the Cup of Excellence in 1999 and has over 30 years of experience in coffee grading, tasting and quality control. Under Silvio’s guidance, Fabiano has refined the family’s harvesting and processing techniques and steadily elevated the quality of Progresso’s coffee. Silvio also helped Fabiano establish a market for his coffee
internationally, connecting him to specialty coffee importers and roasters like us.

By the time we visited Progresso in 2015, the farm was already producing great coffee. The family’s motto was “Mindful Coffee”, and we could see that this was genuinely embedded in everything they did, from how they farmed the land, to how they looked after the people working on it. In the decade since our first visit, this ethos still rings true, and the practices on the farm have continued to evolve.

Fabiano’s commitment to quality has been unwavering; the team have gradually honed their approach to processing, seeking to maximise cup quality and consistency. Practices in the field have evolved too. Cutting-edge technology is used to ensure that trees are getting the exact amount of nutrition and water they need. Planting techniques have been refined, with spacing between trees adjusted to improve both quality and yield, while wildflowers and native grasses are now encouraged to blossom between tree rows to help with water retention and add nitrogen to the soil. Fabiano has also begun producing his own organic biofertilisers, reducing the farms reliance on chemical inputs by over 30%. “The trees are happier and healthier,” he told us.

The result of these combined efforts is a coffee that is balanced, rounded and sweet, with layers of roasted almond, dark chocolate and soft fruit. We love the versatility of Fazenda Progresso coffees, as well as their consistency and reliability. This kind of steadiness is rare, and it is no accident. It is the result of years of careful, deliberate work by a team that never stops striving to do better.

The result of these combined efforts is a coffee that is consistent and reliable year in, year out. This kind of steadiness is rare, and it is no accident. It is the result of years of careful, deliberate work by a team that never stops striving to do better.

It was wonderful to return to Brazil, a decade after we first came here, and take a moment to reflect. Ten years is long enough to witness real change, and on this trip, we felt the full weight of that perspective. One thing we recognised was that Fabiano’s hungry curiosity had been replaced with a quiet confidence and assuredness. “We used to experiment a lot. We wanted to push the boundaries and see what was possible,” he explained “But now we know what works. We know how to get the very best out of this farm.” We also reflected, with a deep sense of gratitude, on how our relationship with Fabiano and his family has deepened over this period. We have visited the farm many times, shared meals and conversations, and hosted Fabiano and Silvio in Australia. We have grown and evolved together. So much has changed – particularly for Fabiano, who now leads all of Progresso’s operations, including the family’s new venture into wine.

We have a vivid memory from our first visit to Progresso, of Fabiano showing us some young grape vines that they had planted a few years earlier. “One day,” he told us earnestly, “we will make wine here.” We smiled, charmed by the idea; at that time, we did not fully appreciate just how serious he was – or that wine would
capture Fabiano’s imagination in the same way that coffee had.

As it turns out, Fabiano’s dream of producing wine at Fazenda Progresso was something that he shared with his late father, Ivo Borré. Together, Ivo and Fabiano invested a great deal of time researching, studying the soil, trialling different varieties, and slowly building the evidence that this extraordinary landscape could produce wines of genuine distinction. Vinícola UVVA opened its doors in March 2022 although, sadly, Ivo Borré passed away before seeing the full realisation of what they had built together.

It is an extraordinary project – the first winery of its kind in Chapada Diamantina, and one approached with the same exacting standards Fabiano has brought to coffee. Fifty-two hectares of the estate are now dedicated to the vineyard, producing wines that, like their coffee, are an expression of this remarkable terroir. The winery building itself is a striking work of contemporary architecture, carved into the rockface of a hillside, with breathtaking views across the vineyard and the Serra do Sincorá mountain range. It houses a fine dining restaurant, modern art gallery, and offers guided tasting experiences for visitors. “We want to draw people to Chapada Diamantina and to Mucugê,” Fabiano said, “and offer an experience that showcases the local landscape and regional culture.” Since opening, the winery has attracted thousands of visitors from across Brazil. In doing so, it has helped transform and revitalise Mucugê in ways that go well beyond the farm itself. The quiet town has been reinvigorated, and the Borré family are at the heart of that story.

The Borré family’s work is much larger than coffee, or wine. It’s about place, and community, and a deep connection with the land and what it can produce.

Perhaps what strikes us the most when we step back and reflect on the last ten years, is that the Borré family’s work is much larger than coffee, or wine. It’s about place, and community, and a deep connection with the land and belief in what it can produce. It has been a privilege to see Fabiano lead his family business – and his community – with such ambition and vision. He holds a deep sense of duty to his team, his neighbours and the natural environment, all of which sustains everything Progresso produces. It is perhaps not surprising that Fabiano’s commitment and contributions were formally recognised as “Citizen of Bahia” – an honour (one of the state’s highest) which recognises contributions to agriculture, community, culture, tourism and the economy of the region. For Fabiano this was a “full circle” moment. His father Ivo had received this same award in 2017. The legacy continues, in the most fitting way possible.

We are proud to have shared Progresso’s coffees with our customers for ten years, and more grateful than ever for the friendship, trust and dedication that has made it possible. Here’s to the next ten.

This interview appears in the Winter 2026 edition of our Print Journal, which is available in shops and online now.

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