By Clotilde Perez
A multisensory product par excellence, coffee is part of who we are. If Brazilian identity is linked to the land – we have known this since Pero Vaz de Caminha's letter of May 1, 1500 (...everything will be given in it...), the first national advertisement –, coffee is in our DNA.
From the vibrant colors of the spherical and crowded green, red, or yellow fruits, contrasting as they hang from branches in darker green shades of firm, shiny leaves, to the delicate white flowers, to the multiple browns of the earth and the roasts, to the intense or smooth flavors that can be sweet or bitter, to the aromas that incite memory and envelop, from energetic and cognitive stimulation to well-being and pleasure through dopamine release, coffee is pure sensory immersion.
Figures 1 and 2: coffee on the branch and coffee after roasting. Fazendas de Orfeu | Photos: Clotilde Perez
A symbol of a country's greatness, of productive work, of employer and employee, of the complexity of processes, from hoe to satellite, of obsessive quality and precision, of competitions, awards, and decorations, from the producer, the agronomist, the master roaster, the barista to the Q-grader, coffee is work and science.
Whole bean or ground, it mobilizes a vast material culture that includes the teapot, the strainer or filter, the cup or the "copo americano", the coffee maker or the thermos. Short, "carioca", long, double, espresso, filtered, with milk, decaffeinated, organic. But it can also be in capsules or drip. Coffee is versatile.
From the quick stop that rescues us from the weight of routine or the excuse for a meeting; from the most sophisticated to the most prosaic ritual, from the diminutive that diminishes nothing – "cafezinho" is affection and relationship.
This vast potential of meanings and many other connections can be creatively and strategically managed as support and positioning for the most varied coffee brands, especially special ones, such as Orfeu coffee and its newest Microlot, which has just been launched at SP Arte 2024, at the Ibirapuera Bienal de Arte Pavilion, the Oscar Niemeyer Special Edition. From the coffee plantations surrounding the Santa Clara chapel - a gift from the architect to the farm workers, a work that moves by the singularity of its lines, the contrast of colors and the transcendence it provokes - to the abode of art and to our delight. The Oscar Niemeyer Special Edition Microlot features packaging created by designer Pedro Cappeletti, inspired by the architect's works, for the whole bean, ground, capsule and drip versions, and carries the organic quality and sophistication that made Niemeyer an emblem of monumental, curvilinear and symbolic architecture in Brazil and worldwide. The sensitivity of the architectural line, combined with the elegance of white with metallic touches from Orfeu's visual identity and Oscar Niemeyer's signature, also make the packaging art. Art on the outside, art on the inside. Special coffees, with all that this means: meticulous planting and harvesting, careful selection, progressive roasting, obsession with quality, an excellent team, all to ensure the best quality of the beverage and, with it, the best sensory experience.
Figure 3: Santa Clara Chapel, a work by Niemeyer for Fazenda Rainha, São Sebastião da Grama (SP) | Photo: Clotilde Perez
Figure 4: Oscar Niemeyer Special Edition Microlot packaging | Photo: Clotilde Perez
And the launch of the Oscar Niemeyer Special Edition Microlot coffee also features exclusive cups designed using Artificial Intelligence fed by the architect's works, a process conducted by the Crispin Porter + Bogusky (CP+B) agency. After technological creation, the pieces were hand-sculpted by artist Lair Uaracy and ceramist Fernando Aidar, from the Caboco studio, who used the farm's own soil to make each piece. Creation with technology, meaning, and art. The campaign also includes a commercial film that presents the entire coffee planting and production process, the Santa Clara chapel, and a statement by Niemeyer's great-grandson, recognizing the value of the project.
Figure 5: cups generated by AI and sculpted by artist Lair Uaracy and ceramist Fernando Aidar, from Caboco studio | Photo: disclosure
The integration between form (packaging and cups inspired by Niemeyer) and content (special coffees) already carries enormous symbolic power, and when symbolic meanings (art, longevity, culture, gift...) are added to this mixture, the result is an aesthetic and seductive explosion. The symbiotic effect causes a fusion between the qualities of the objects and the sensitive inner world of the person experiencing them.