Fabiana and Bernie Ecclestone (Right)
Bernie Ecclestone, right, enjoys espresso with wife Fabiana Ecclestone and F1 sponsor Heineken’s Hans Erik Tuijt

British tycoon Bernie Ecclestone and his young Brazilian wife Fabiana Flosi Ecclestone haveย transformed coffee along theย Formula One circuit. For a long time, Ecclestone has been a strong forceย behind this popularย sport. His new coffee brand, Celebrity Coffee, is produced at aย farm he owns with his wife in the municipality of Amparo, about 90 miles from Sรฃo Paulo city, in southeast Brazil. Their coffees are currently being served around the world on the Grand Prixโ€™s backstage. It’s a meaningful move for Brazil, which has long had a strong Formula One culture and has turned outย legendary drivers such as three-time champions Nelson Piquet and Ayrton Senna.

I have allowed myself to acceptย Ecclestone as an honorary citizen,ย in the end, after his long years of friendship with our champions and a marriage with a Brazilian girl. To seal the deal, the Ecclestonesย bought a coffee farm in Sรฃo Paulo in 2012. โ€œIโ€™ve been in Brazil along 45 years and Iโ€™ve made a lot of friends. Iโ€™ve had really happy times around here,โ€ says big boss Ecclestone, who guaranteed me he is a heavy coffee drinker despite having been born in an English generation that far preferred tea. Even as a beginner in this business, the Ecclestones have drawn attention to the Amparo region, famous for producing coffee since the end of the 19thย century in the Sรฃo Paulo state. The farm was an old and abandoned plantation, and theย twoย hired experts to help them recuperate the arable land.

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Recently, moreย producers from the Amparo region have gained visibility in Sรฃo Paulo’s high-end roaster and coffee shop scene, which means that some of them are striving for reaching the specialty level. Besides coffee, Amparo is famous for artisanal cachaรงas and perhaps most of all for being a world-renowned noble horse breeding hub. After going through a couple of tough decades, Amparo is living up to itsย coffee calling, with more than 1,000 producers and a new focus on quality. Fabiana Ecclestone says their coffee will not only be available on the F1 circuit but also beyond.

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โ€œWe wish to have our Celebrity Coffee used in the best hotels and restaurants worldwide and also available for sales in prestige outlets,” she said. “We are in search of high quality, not quantity for now.” Despite a name evoking a high-class life appeal, Fabianaย Ecclestone says herย coffee is for everyone: โ€œThe 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. We are very proud of our coffee,โ€ she says.

Formula 1 is not the only racing circuit being invaded by coffee brands. The Formula E, a class of auto racing organized by FIA (Fรฉdรฉration Internationale de l’Automobile) which allows only electric-powered cars countsย La Marzoccoย among its sponsors. The Italian espresso machine manufacturer affirms sharing the same values with Formula E such as sustainability, innovation, and engagement. Both are moved by the inspiration of fostering and spreading the concepts of awareness, high-end technology, and community life in an entertaining way.

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Finally, we must ask if the drivers, the stars of the circus who have adrenaline flowing through their veins, might just operate on greatย coffee themselves? Connectionย with prestige brands of food, alcohol, and now coffee, is sure to provide these racers with just that extra bit of magic fuel for the home stretch.

Paulo Pedroso is a regular contributor to Brazilian newspapers Folha de Sรฃo Paulo and Valor Econรดmico, as well as Revista Espresso, a Brazilian specialty coffee magazine. Read moreย Paulo Pedroso on Sprudge.

Photographs courtesy of Bernie and Fabiana Ecclestone, with photos byย Steve D. / SDF1.

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