Have you heard of Januária?

By now, you probably know that I like cachaças and caipirinhas. A spirit that is linked in so many ways to Brazil's cultural identity and our historical connection to sugarcane. Many afficionados will say that the best cachaças are distilled in the State of Minas Gerais and the most famous brands come from a place called Salinas. However, a new town is on my cachaça watch list.  It's called Januária.

A few days ago, Alexandre Chiavegatti a friend who also loves to scout for unknown and hard-to-find brands, gave me a bottle of "Velha de Januária" (which I had never heard of). Yesterday in Brasília, I walked into a liquor store and found another brand from the same location called "Caribé". So I bought two bottles, one for Alexandre and one for my pantry. I just love collecting these little obscure brands which are pretty much distilled in the same way that was done in 17th century colonial Brazil and then aged in casks made from wood with romantic names like amburana or jequitibá rosa. It feels like, every bottle I buy, in a way is a celebration of a little piece of small town Brazil. A Brazil of open fields, dusty roads and simple people who know how to live in a slower pace.

For those curious, Januária is a little town (pop. 65,000) hidden in the northern part of Minas Gerais, 613 km from the state capital Belo Horizonte. This is what Wikipedia says about the place...

"The first explorers arrived in 1553 looking for gold. They were led by Castelhano Francisco Bruza de Espinosa and Padre João de Apicuelta Navarro. The first settlement was called Brejo do Salgado, due to the salinity of the streams and the marshes. The first sugarcane mill was set up and soon a chapel followed dedicated to Nossa Senhora do Amparo. In 1833 Brejo do Salgado became a "vila", or town and the seat was transferred to the left bank of the São Francisco River, the name being changed to Januária, in homage to Princess Januária, daughter of the Emperor Pedro I."

Cupuaçú... will that be one or two scoops?

I'm always looking for what's new in the world of ice creams. So, I was very happy to find out that there's a place here in Sao Paulo selling Cairu®, the famous ice cream brand from Belem (the well-known port that serves as a gateway to the Amazon Forest).  It was worth the visit. Absolutely amazing.   Cairu is all about authenticity showcasing wonderful ice creams using local fruits, from the already popular açaí (known for its antioxidant properties and one of the few local fruits, like the guaraná, known abroad), to the more exotic acerola, murici, cupuaçú or taperebá.  

If you type in 'ice cream' at Wikipedia you see references from all over the world, from Italy's unique gelati texture, to the heladerias of Argentina and Uruguay with the superb dulce-de-leches or American ice creams rich in cream and amazing inclusions. Not surprising that there is no reference to a typical Brazilian-style ice cream. I think it's a matter of time for the world to discover some of the fruits from the Amazon.... and you never know, maybe one day, Cairu Ice Creams will no longer be a well-kept secret.  

I found this great photo of the acerola berry at Flickr posted by photographer Marco...

The Legendary Cachaça

When it comes to determining the best tasting rum, vodka or whisky, there's always controversy. In terms of cachaça (Brazil's sexy spirit), there's a myth around Anísio Santiago, this hard-to-find, priced-like-a-great-Bordeaux brand is worshiped by aficionados around the country as the very best Brazilian cachaça. Anísio Santiago is named after the legendary figure who began distilling in Salinas (State of Minas Gerais) back in the 40's and put this small town on the map as the cachaça capital (a bit like what Lynchburg is for the Tennessee Whiskey).  The original name was Havana which the family had to give up due to a trademark dispute, renaming it later.

My good friend, Flavio Maria, just gave me a bottle as a birthday gift.  Like a fine Carmenère, this little gem will be savored on a very special moment.

For those interested in more on one Brazil's most legendary brands, there's a book on it called "O Mito da Cachaça" written by Roberto Carlos Santiago.

Certain Success Stories Are Hard To Explain...

I remember when my wife, who is an early adopter for anything new, organic or that has a good story behind it, brought home a box of Melona® popsicles. It was the Summer of 2005 and we lived in Connecticut. For those who aren't familiar with Melona®, it's a green melon-flavored South Korean ice cream. Although my daughters loved the novelty, I didn't think much of it. Ok, it was very refreshing but there wasn't anything very innovative about it. No competitive advantage. No differentiated packaging idea. Almost two years later, I'm surprised to see Melona® appearing in hot spots all around São Paulo and getting a lot of PR. It's definitely the flip side of the local food movement.

In the land of so many wonderful fruits like cajú, acerola or cupuaçú and so many cool Brazilian ice cream brands like Mil Frutas from Rio or Rochinha from the São Paulo Coast, why would a Korean popsicle gain popularity?
Is it all about certain trendy consumers going against traditional brands in favor of the unusual newcomer?

I guess certain success stories are hard to explain but I have to admit there's something deliciously intriguing about this underground brand. I'm curious to see if the news will melt by the end of the summer?