- ABOUT US
The Beginning
Our story with the coffee plant began in 2014.
We are Nina and João, a Franco-Portuguese couple who have been living on the island of Flores, in the Azores (Portugal), for nearly 20 years.
The Coffee Plant on Flores Island
The coffee plant was introduced to the Azores archipelago probably in the 20th century, although it may have arrived earlier, during the Age of Discoveries. Since then it has never been commercialised and has mainly been used as an ornamental plant in house gardens and yards. This led us to speak with some of the island’s older residents and realise that the plant actually grows well on the island of Flores.
Our Philosophy
Recognising its potential, we decided to turn this idea into a project that offers a unique coffee, valuing local production and promoting the regional economy with respect for environmental and social sustainability. Rifte focuses on quality rather than quantity.
Our production is organic (with certification planned in the near future) and sustainable, with the aim of producing a specialty coffee with sensory, human and environmental value. This project is rooted in our love for the land.
Medicinal Coffee
Our vision goes far beyond simply selling a product. The coffee plant has been part of human life for centuries. It is undoubtedly a powerful plant that has played a fundamental role in the development of our species. It is no coincidence that coffee is the most consumed beverage in the world after water. For this reason, coffee deserves to be seen once again as a medicinal plant allied with human health.
Beyond producing good coffee from a flavour perspective, one of our aims is to highlight a more complete and healthy use of this plant. Not only the roasted bean, but also the leaves, the husk, the pulp, the green bean and even the flower; the whole tree as part of an ecosystem.
The Rifte project aims to open this field and allow coffee to express the full potential it has to offer.
The Rifte Brand
Rifte is a registered brand. Its name was inspired by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the geological zone where the American, African and Eurasian tectonic plates meet, about 50 kilometres east of the island of Flores. It is a long ridge that crosses the ocean from north to south, making the Atlantic resemble a giant coffee bean with its central fissure.
Our initiative brings to Europe a crop that is mainly found in Latin America, Africa and Asia. The island of Flores thus becomes, once again in its history, a point of connection between continents.
The Team
Rifte has become what it is today thanks to many people. First and foremost, our parents, who have always been present, and also several friends with whom we formed a collective of entrepreneurs that helped expand Rifte in many ways between 2020 and 2023. Carlos, Vânia, Catarina, Tiago, Diogo, Carolina, Andreas and Rui were essential in helping this project take flight. Today, some of them continue to collaborate with us in the current version of Rifte. We are deeply grateful for all the support we have received.