The Baron's story began on Broadway Market. A local legend, market stall holder Stephen Selby - nicknamed the Baron, as a nod to his Broadway ‘nobility’ - knew everyone and welcomed us in our earliest days. He was part of our beginning and the fabric of that place, until he passed away recently. When we first started roasting in the early 2000s, our first coffee was dedicated to him, and to relationships and community, which is still at the heart of everything we do.
It’s since become our crowd-pleasing, go-to coffee—the one you reach for every day and never tire of. Consistent, balanced, always there, and quietly brilliant. Sweetness and chocolate notes are always a highlight. But behind that reliability is something deeper: a commitment to sourcing coffees that represent the very best of Brazil, built on trust, transparency, and shared values.
Moving into 2026, the original sentiment still stands. Building long term relationships, bringing people together through exceptional coffee and working in a system that tries to work better for everyone in it, is still the same sentiment as when we began. The Baron has always been the clearest expression of that thinking.
This year, the Baron is under review - for two reasons.
First, the name. While it comes from its own history, we recognise that ‘Baron’ carries weight in Brazil. Linked to coffee barons, who built their wealth through the enslavement of thousands of Africans. It is an important and painful part of coffee's history defined by exploitation and human suffering. The intention behind the name was never to romanticize or overlook the suffering linked to Brazil’s coffee history. That said, we acknowledge that intention does not negate impact. As a company whose work depends on coffee we accept that we do have a responsibility to be conscious of how our branding participates in shaping narrative, even unintentionally. We are looking at meaningful ways to acknowledge this history - starting with this blog and an internal focus group to decide how best to move forward.
Secondly, the reality of coffee today. The 2025 growing season in Brazil was very challenging. You may have felt it in rising prices or the availability of your favourite coffees. For us, it was very real. Our long time partner Daterra experienced over 150 days without rain, severely impacting the growing cycle and reducing the 2025 harvest. We saw it first hand. Coffee is a fruit - without healthy flowering, quality drops. Like any fruit, you need good conditions at the start to produce quality in harvesting. As a result, yields were down and we simply couldn't source the volume we needed.
After the initial shock, and many conversations with Daterra and D R Wakefield it became clear: we need to do something about it and adapt. Expanding our supply chain became a necessity, but it also created an opportunity to look at another way.
So in 2026, our most popular coffee is entering a new chapter.
Introducing the next chapter: BRUNO’S PICK
The coffee profile hasn't changed. What’s changed is how we get there.
At the centre of this is Bruno de Souza. A long-time partner and friend of ours, we met Bruno at the World of Coffee in Dublin in 2016. Alongside the team at Daterra, Bruno has played a big role in shaping how we think about Brazilian coffee. As one of the key figures in Brazilian specialty coffee—helping establish early quality standards and Q Grading training in the country—he brings deep expertise, trust, and an uncompromising approach to quality. Fundamentally, he gives a sh*t. Our Commercial Director Danny Davies and Bruno are always chatting and the relationship has only grown stronger after visiting again in 2024 and through challenges of the coffee crisis of 2025, it became clear there was the opportunity to work together more closely.
Bruno’s Pick is that next step. A more collaborative, more traceable, and more resilient way of sourcing the coffees that define our favourite classic coffee.
The brief stays the same. The region remains Minas Gerais. The cup profile stays true—chocolate, nuts, clean sweetness, smooth and dependable. Built for espresso, perfect with milk, and just as good black. There might be a subtle shifts - think 90% dark chocolate moving to 80% dark chocolate - but the quality of coffee remains high and in the cup, just delicious.
Bruno’s Pick formalises that partnership. Working as our QC partner and exporter, Bruno curates coffees from producers he knows and trusts, aligning them with the flavour profile we love. It’s a more collaborative way of working—decisions shared, risks understood, and quality protected at every stage. In a volatile coffee landscape, that closeness matters.
This coffee's journey starts at Fazenda Inhame in Campos Altos—the first coffee selected under Bruno’s Pick. Later in the year, coffees from across Bruno’s network in Minas will follow, with Daterra returning as harvests recover. While this year has been challenging for Daterra, early signs for the next harvest are positive. Our relationship with them remains strong—we’re still buying other coffees and continuing our annual fermentation project together.
We are excited to work with farms like Fazenda Inhame that reflect that commitment—multi-generational producers investing in their land, their people, and long-term sustainability. From soil health and water protection to stable employment and community support, these are the foundations that make quality possible.
Bruno’s Pick is about recognising that great coffee doesn’t come from one place—it comes from a network of people doing things for the love of coffee.
Same cup. Better system. Built to believe in.
Fazenda Inhame
Fresh for 2026, The Baron Bruno 's Pick features coffee from Fazenda Inhame in Campos Altos, Minas Gerais.
This is coffee shaped by place. Grown in high altitude between 1,050–1,200 metres in the transition between the Atlantic Forest and Cerrado, the region’s hot days and cool nights slow down maturation, building sweetness and complexity in the cup. The farm’s red, mineral-rich soils and well-defined seasons do the rest—creating the conditions for consistently high-quality coffee. In the south of the land, there is a river that crosses the farm called Inhame. Water is considered the most valuable asset on the planet, so the founder chose this name in recognition of its importance. This farm is not fundamentally different from a lot of farms in the region, but it benefits from ideal regional conditions and stands out for its high altitude.
But what makes this coffee special isn’t just geography—it’s people. Fazenda Inhame has been in the same family since 1910, now led by Marco Aurélio Fiorita Franco and works in partnership with his son Bruno who is an agronomist. Five generations in, coffee isn’t just a crop—it’s a way of life rooted in care for the land and responsibility to the people around them. Visiting this area you can see how connected people are to their land and to coffee, and it is a wonderful experience. Asking what they are most proud of - Marco and Bruno are proud to be part of something that is central to everyday life globally.
That care shows up everywhere. The farm uses organic fertilisation from coffee pulp and cattle manure, reduces herbicide use through mechanical weeding, and protects water sources and native vegetation. Workers are fully supported under Brazilian labour laws, with housing, food provisions, and long-term job security—some people have been on the farm for over a decade. Beyond the farm, milk is donated daily to a local elderly home, and renewable energy powers operations through an on-site solar plant and ongoing planting for native tree species for conservation. Although, it’s not about ticking boxes.
In the cup, this coffee delivers what it always has: chocolate, nuts, soft fruit sweetness, and a smooth, dependable finish. The kind of coffee that works just as well as your first flat white of the day as it does brewed black in the afternoon.
But now you know what sits behind it. This coffee isn’t just easy to drink. It’s easy to believe in.
