Entering a kitchen, while boiling water strains a cup of coffee and a tray of pão de queijo comes out of the oven, is an olfactory and affective experience that many mineiros can recognize. However, most Brazilians only keep memories of the taste of market coffees, from large producers, who pay little attention to their cultivation and harvest. These coffees do not represent the true quality of our beans, coming mainly from the mountainous soils of Minas Gerais and the interior of São Paulo, which favor their cultivation. At the same time, if Chileans and Argentines are our neighbors specialists in the art and technique of winemaking, Brazilians, like their Colombian cousins, also have all the favorable conditions to become experts in the barista art, recognizing, tasting and promoting the best national coffees. This is where the fastest growing specialty coffee franchise in Brazil, Cheirin Bão, comes into play.

Dedicated to providing, in addition to special coffees, unique moments, the Minas Gerais emporium, born in Varginha in 2014, continues to grow. Barely two years after its founding, Cheirin Bão joined the Holding Universal Franchising franchise network, considerably expanding its presence in the national territory. Not long after, in 2018, the chain arrived in Portugal, in the city of Porto, opening its first store abroad. Currently, with 480 units and 2,500 employees throughout Brazil, the chain has an ambitious plan to reach 2,000 stores by 2025, a goal that does not seem so far off, if we take into account that during the pandemic the emporium grew more than ever.

In their menu, we find very typical flavors and linguistic expressions of Minas Gerais. Its three main coffees are Bão, acid and citric with notes of red fruits. Mió, sweeter and smoother, with notes of yellow fruits. And Mocha, which, as its name suggests, proposes combinations with milk and milk-based sweets, since it is full-bodied, semi-sweet and with low acidity. A Brazilian who enters a Cheirin Bão coffee shop will probably automatically associate the names of the coffees with the state of Minas Gerais. However, a foreigner, regardless of the state they are visiting or living in, can already have contact with the flavor and sayings of one of the most beloved states in Brazil. Having a Minas Gerais coffee with a warm pão de queijo is like traveling by train to the sound of Milton Nascimento. It reminds us that simplicity is loaded with sophistication and magic.

With Alan's experience, we realize the transcendent potential of the chain, which empowers our youth with education and professionalization, based on national products of excellence, among which one of the most recognized is coffee.

Living in Colombia, one of my favorite activities is visiting the coffee shops in Bogotá and other cities in the country. Colombians recognize themselves as a coffee people, in which talking about their country and mentioning coffee are inseparable topics. Large chains such as Juan Valdez, Oma, Tostao and Café Quindío are the main ones in charge of promoting this culture in all the departments of the national territory. They are also in charge of strengthening small coffee growers in coffee-growing regions such as Armenia, Huila, Tolima, Valle del Cauca, Sierra Nevada, Antioquia, Santander and Nariño. Today, Colombians have the opportunity to travel around their country through the different aromas and notes of the beans of each region, taking pride in the unique quality of their coffee. Knowing that Brazil is also a great coffee producer, it caused me some sadness that my country did not explore its true coffee potential, always sending our best beans abroad and leaving only market coffees for domestic consumption. This sadness has now been replaced by the Cheirin Bão, which has been accompanied by the expansion of this emporium from Minas Gerais.

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