Bell Lane x Canta Galo
The roastery used Algrano’s services to build a key producer relationship. Why? So they have the right tools for value-based sales and can keep customers loyal without fighting price wars.
Roaster Nikola Sunko wanted to find great coffees from like-minded producers that could make a difference in a saturated market. Without a value-added product, the roastery would have fallen victim to price wars and would have to sell coffee at the lowest margins.
Algrano’s marketplace connected Nikola with Heron Reger de Carvalho Junior of Fazenda Canta Galo in 2020. Four years into their relationship, Bell Lane has the first choice of Canta Galo’s best coffee lots and can show customers the real impact of their sourcing program, keeping wholesale accounts loyal.
“Today,the farm is much more stable. Not having to rely on the commodities market isthe best thing I can do for my financial health. And it all started at Algrano.”
The Producer: Heron
Heron is the co-owner and manager of Fazenda Canta Galo in Campos Altos, a small town in Cerrado Mineiro. He took over the farm when his father passed away and fought to convince his family that specialty coffee and direct trade were the way forward. He got full family support after bringing the farm financial stability thanks to direct relationships with roasters.
The Roaster: Nikola
Nikola Sunko is the Head Roaster and GreenCoffee Buyer at Bell Lane Coffee Roasters in Mullingar, Ireland. He joined the company in 2018 to work on their speciality coffee lines. Niko’s call was to focus on the green and start a Farm Direct program to transform their sourcing.
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“It’s important to talk to someone before buying from a producer. If you talk to a company with a great mission like Algrano, the producers working with them will likely have the same values.”
Niko quickly understood that finding the right farmer to work with was easy on Algrano. Our team takes care of everything from discovery to delivery so roasters can focus on finding good coffee and building great partnerships.
“After the first purchase, I was hooked. All the information about the coffees and prices was there when no one else was doing it. The team was very progressive, responsive, and transparent. That’s unique.”
The coffees were very good, better than the ones from importers. And I could get anything from one bag. I was shocked. There were also great producer names. That gave immediate credibility to the platform.”
-Nikola Sunko | Bell Lane
400 bags
Number of bags ordered in 2024
2021
First year of pre-contracting
2023
First roastery tour with Heron in Ireland
Finding the right producer
Niko remembers that the coffee producers he met through Algrano were different. After initial chats on the platform, he noticed that talking to farmers and cooperatives was “100% more fluid”. “They are the ones who approach you and ask questions. They are super proactive,” the roaster explains.
On Algrano, roasters and producers speak the same language, even if they don’t speak the same idiom. Producers always know who their buyers are, which samples they cup, and which coffee lots they order. They’re encouraged to reach out, build relationships, and own their supply chains.
Verified Sellers
Any coffee producer anywhere can sign up for the marketplace. But roasters, like Niko, need a third party to make sure they will deliver. “It’s important to talk to someone before buying from a producer. If you talk to a company with a great mission like Algrano, the producers working with them will likely have the same values,” he says.
One of our key roles in the supply chain is risk management and quality assurance. That’s why we created a Verified Seller program. It’s an onboarding system that ensures producers
have strong quality protocols, infrastructure to export, and the values roasters look for.
Navigating supply chain volatility
The confidence in Algrano’s verification process was crucial to Bell Lane in 2021 when three consecutive frosts hit Brazil and Niko’s supplier went silent. That’s when the roastery decided to take the relationship with Canta Galo to the next level, ordering larger volumes from Heron for their espresso.
Knowing how volatile the supply chain was in 2021, Niko pre-contracted (ordered before the harvest) his Brazil with Heron. He’s been doing that since, contracting his coffee as early as January, four months before the harvest starts. In 2023, he pre-ordered 330 bags. In 2024, it was 400 bags.
Algrano gave Niko the safety he needed to develop a direct relationship with the ease of planning future orders, comparing prices, and managing his stock. The two discuss price and volume with full autonomy. Heron then creates offers online and shares the links with Niko.
"I want to present Niko with my best product. This direct line I have with him is worth much more than sending coffee to competitions. I have good prices and stability. In 2022, BellLane contracted 15% of our production. That made the farm financially well."
Heron R. de Carvalho Jr. | Canta Galo
A win-win partnership
The partnership between Heron and Niko shows that direct trade relationships benefit roasters and producers alike.
Bell Lane’s direct relationship with Canta Galo guarantees the quality and volume the roastery needs every year. The lots are prepared according to the roastery’s grade, defects, and score specifications. And they get the first choice on the farm’s best micro-lots.
Customer loyalty & a healthy farm
Canta Galo has come a long way since the relationship started. “Negotiating with local traders and cooperatives is a battle. They only think about profit. It’s one trying to stab the other in the back. With Niko, it’s the opposite,” the farmer compares. “Today, the farm is much more stable. Not having to rely on the commodities market is the best thing I can do for my financial health. And it all started at Algrano.”
While many roasteries engage in price wars to win new wholesale accounts, Bell Lane’s Farm Diret program brings new customers through the door and inspires loyalty. And there’s more. Heron also talks to Bell Lane’s clients himself. He visited Mullingar in 2023 for a tasting with wholesale partners where they could hear about the direct trade relationship from the farm’s perspective first-hand.
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