Bossa Coffee, led by Bruna Costa and Emma Wallace, are Brazilian specialty coffee importers based in London. Bruna grew up in a small coffee town in Brazil, and Emma entered the coffee world ten years ago starting in green commercial coffee. In 2018, they both met while working at another importing company, and a shared outlook and vision ultimately led them to creating Bossa.
Ludwika and Cath first met Bruna of Bossa Coffee on an origin trip to Ethiopia in January 2019, back when Bruna was working for a different importer, and they found connection through their shared views on the coffee industry and the future of specialty coffee. We have since had multiple lots of coffee from Bossa Coffee taking the spot of our Brazil coffee, with our current one from Amanda Galheri sourced through them as well.
Bruna and Emma kindly offered to answer some questions we had for them on their work as importers, and their perspective on issues facing the coffee industry:
Brazil is often seen as a bellwether for the global coffee industry; what happens there can foreshadow broader market trends. Does your position as a Brazilian coffee importer give you any insights into what might change in the coffee industry over the next five years?
Bruna and Emma said:
"From our perspective, as producing countries continue to grow and develop economically, there will be an increasing need to adopt automation in coffee production wherever it is feasible. This is already evident in Brazil, where there is a growing shortage of labour in rural areas and production costs continue to rise year on year.
As a result, technology is no longer simply an option, but a necessary step forward. Through our work in both Brazil and Ethiopia, we have been involved in projects aimed at introducing Brazilian technology to Ethiopian producers, helping to improve efficiency and support long-term sustainability. We believe this kind of knowledge exchange will become increasingly important across coffee-producing regions in the years ahead.
The growth in investment and research into regenerative agriculture is another particularly notable development, positioning the industry well for the future as the climate becomes more unpredictable and crop resilience becomes a key priority. Reducing the use of chemical inputs on farms is also a positive step, helping to keep production costs more manageable while supporting environmental sustainability."
What would you like to see shift in the next five years?
Bruna and Emma said:
"We would very much like to see a more open-minded attitude towards technology within the coffee industry, recognising it as a positive force for improving both quality of life and income for producers and farm workers.
There is still a tendency to romanticise hand-harvested coffee, without fully acknowledging how physically demanding and, at times, unsustainable that work can be. Where appropriate technology can help ease this burden, while also creating opportunities for better education, training, and more skilled roles in rural communities.
More broadly, we hope we can move away from outdated colonial narratives that equate value with manual labour and small-scale hardship. Instead, the focus should shift towards improving livelihoods, creating viable career paths for younger generations, and ensuring that coffee production can offer dignity, stability, and long-term prospects for the future workforce.
We are also seeing an increasing number of women producers submitting samples of varying qualities for evaluation each year. This progress is being driven by greater investment in training and the sharing of production knowledge, which is helping to support their growth within the industry. Historically, it was far more difficult to source micro lots or experimental lots from women producers, as the risks associated with potential crop losses made experimentation less viable. It is encouraging to see this changing, and we hope this positive trend continues to grow and develop in the years ahead."
You work specifically with female coffee producers: what opportunities and challenges does that create?
Bruna and Emma said:
"Working with female producers has been incredibly rewarding. One of the key opportunities lies in building strong, long-term relationships grounded in trust, loyalty, and mutual respect. In our experience, these partnerships tend to be highly collaborative and consistent over time, with an expanding range of coffees being developed and introduced each year.
However, there are also important challenges that need to be addressed. Many women in coffee continue to face structural barriers, including limited access to finance, land ownership and essential resources. In some cases, there can also be issues around confidence and self-perception, often shaped by wider social dynamics. Supporting these producers therefore involves not only a commercial partnership, but also ongoing encouragement and guidance to help them develop their coffees and strengthen their presence in the market."
Bruna, you're from a coffee-producing family, and Emma, you're from a coffee-consuming country; do your origins impact your experience of coffee?
Bruna and Emma said:
"Absolutely. We see this as one of our greatest strengths. Our different backgrounds complement each other and bring a more balanced perspective to what we do at Bossa. Being able to exchange views shaped by both origin and consumption allows us to better understand the full value chain, and to challenge each other's assumptions. It ultimately helps us build stronger connections between producers and buyers and it is one of the reasons we have worked together so well since we met in 2018."
What's the best coffee you've ever had?
Bruna and Emma said:
"One coffee that stands out is a Volcanic Fermentation natural produced by Bruna's friend Patricia Coelho from Mogiana. It was Patricia's very first ever micro lot, something she developed after years of encouragement and the result was truly exceptional. It has also become our best-selling coffee from this year.
What we particularly appreciate are coffees that, even when they undergo innovative processing, still retain a clear sense of origin. For us, the most exciting profiles are those that express their regional identity, but with enhanced clarity and complexity.
Another outstanding lot we had from the past two crops is from a producer in Cerrado called Eduardo Pinheiro Campos. Eduardo immaculately produced an induced fermentation lot with a Yellow Bourbon varietal using steel tanks and technology seen in the beer and wine industries. This lot also expressed regional identity and complexity of flavour showcasing the highest level of processing technology Brazil has to offer."
We currently have a Brazilian lot from Amanda Galheri sourced through Bossa, back for a second year at Steampunk. You can buy it in the cafe or on our website here: Brazil Amanda Galheri (£37/kg).