The Story of the Um Family and Their Journey into Specialty Coffee

Stefano was born in Seoul, the capital and largest city of South Korea. In 1976, he and his family moved to Brazil after the war. His father, an English teacher, met some high-ranking Brazilian military officers, which convinced him to immigrate to Brazil with his wife and five children. They settled in São Paulo, specifically in the Liberdade neighborhood, a famous Asian district in the city. Stefano recalls arriving in São Paulo: “At 12 years old, everything was new, but it was a cultural shock, especially because of the language, but my people adapted well here.”, he says with pride.

In São Paulo, Stefano met his wife, also a Korean immigrant, with whom he had two Brazilian children: Boram and Garam. Stefano graduated in business administration and always worked in the electronics sales sector. In 2004, he had the opportunity to receive a scholarship from Samsung in Brazil, where the company had plans to build a factory, the city of Varginha, not knowing that it is one of the largest coffee-exporting cities in the country. There, he met coffee producers and exporters, from whom he learned more about the coffee market. One of these business owners invited Stefano for a partnership aimed at exporting green coffee beans as a commodity to other countries. From this point on, the Um family's story in the specialty coffee business began.

In 2010, Stefano began researching and studying specialty coffees, realizing that the market was very interested in investing in high-quality coffees. The following year, he decided to plant specialty coffee varieties on his farm. The Fazenda Um was purchased by him in the southern region of Minas Gerais, in São Gonçalo do Sapucaí. “I started planting coffee in 2012, and I’ve never stopped,” he says. “I planted more than 48.000 coffee trees by 2018. Our planting is a bit different; we plant in shaded areas, and the post-harvest work is similar to the method used in Guatemala.” Fazenda Um has an average altitude of 1.300 meters and produces a total of eight coffee varieties.

UM Coffee Co.
While working on the coffee plantations, his children grew up. Boram graduated in engineering from Mauá College, and Garam studied finance in Boston (USA). When Garam returned to Brazil, the siblings delved into the world of specialty coffees and began international courses in roasting and Q Grader barista training. In 2015, they opened UM Coffee Co.

Today, the siblings manage the coffee shop and the roasting process, which takes place on-site. “We chose the Bom Retiro neighborhood because we needed to optimize costs, and it turned out to be a great decision. Currently, the coffee shop is recognized as one of the best in the country.”