FORMER F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone knows a good business venture when he sees one.
How else would the 89-year-old father-to-be for the fourth time have amassed a fortune worth roughly £3billion?
Bernie Ecclestone and wife Fabiana have a Brazilian farm with its own coffee plantationCredit: Roger Benoit/Blick
Around 30 staff live on site with the Ecclestone’sCredit: Roger Benoit/Blick
One of his most recent passions is coffee – which enthused him to create Celebrity Coffee with his wife Fabiana Flosi, which she manages.
On their impressive farm in Brazil, bought in 2012 for around £8million and bigger than Monaco, Ecclestone and Flosi grind their own beans to create their own cup of Joe.
They use the finest machinery from Italy doing the hard graft, and the coffee is only sold in Brazil for now.
But the coffee did make its way to the F1 circuit, and is sold on Grand Prix’s backstage.
ANIMAL FARM
The farm can be found in the municipality of Amparo, some 90 miles from the city of Sao Paulo.
The Ecclestones normally take a 25-minute helicopter ride from the airport to get there, should they be travelling overseas or staying in their Swiss abode.
Over 30 people work on the farm, where there are around 600 cows and cattle, 18 horses, six ponies, eight dogs, and dozens of chickens and swans.
Expensive Japanese koi carp can also be found in the ponds surrounding the farm’s entrance.
Staff live on site in one of 22 homes built on a field the size of a football pitch.
Bernie Ecclestone takes a tour of his plantation
Bernie Ecclestone was believed to have paid around £8million for the land in 2012
Ecclestone normally rides 25 minutes from Sao Paulo airport to get to his farmCredit: Roger Benoit/Blick
The Ecclestones brand Celebrity Coffee is made on the plantationCredit: Roger Benoit/Blick
The coffee is made by the finest machinery in this small building
The Ecclestones restored the plantation to its former gloryCredit: Roger Benoit/Blick
A short golf kart buggy ride away is the plantation, where the magic happens.
The Ycatu Plantation was abandoned until the Ecclestones took over, and they hired experts to restore the land.
“I’ve been in Brazil along 45 years and I’ve made a lot of friends. I’ve had really happy times around here,” Ecclestone once told Sprudge.
PLAN TO GO GLOBAL
For now, Celebrity Coffee is only available in Brazil online.
But the plan is to go global, in posh eateries, luxury hotels and high-end retailors.
“We wish to have our Celebrity Coffee used in the best hotels and restaurants worldwide and also available for sales in prestige outlets,” Flosi said.
“We are in search of high quality, not quantity for now.”
But that doesn’t mean just because it’s an exclusive brand, it isn’t for everyone.
She continued: “The difference is our care during all the steps of a labor-intense production pays off; our coffee won the title of best quality coffee in the Amparo production area two times in three years.
With mild rain during winter its the perfect spot to grow coffeeCredit: Roger Benoit/Blick
Fabiana revealed she is proud of the coffee they produce
Fabiana Flosi is in charge of Celebrity Coffee
Fabiana and Bernie are confident that they will be able to take Celebrity Coffee global
“We are very proud of our coffee.”
With their association to Amparo, Bernie Ecclestone has drawn attention to the region and recently more producers from Amparo are supplying Sao Paulo’s raging coffee shop scene.
THE SALES PITCH
Celebrity Coffee promise a superior product as the result of the best planting tests for the climate at Ycatu Farm, helped by dry winters and the mild 20ºC temperatures.
Their 100% Arabica beans go through a selection method that ensures the choice of only the best.
Harvesting is then carried out only when the grains reach their ideal state of ripeness, and they are then dried on a piece of sloped plane.
Fabiana is expecting Bernie’s fourth child
The Ecclestones have helped the Amparo region coffee boomCredit: Roger Benoit/Blick
So far, Celebrity Coffee is only available in Brazil or on the Grand Prix circuit
“This is perhaps one of the most crucial moments of production, when sensitivity and technique come together to extract the best possible from each variety,” their website says.
“Once the process is finished, the beans are handled according to specific packaging standards, ensuring the quality of Celebrity CoffeeTM from start to finish.
“The result is a product of high sweetness and unparalleled taste, aimed at the most refined palates.”
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Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
