Workshop Description: This session will explore a unique approach to modular blends, a system designed to deliver climate-resilient, consistent, high-quality Brazilian coffee while celebrating the diversity and scope of Brazilian coffee production. Attendees will gain insight into how to curate lots into flavor modules, apply blending rules to manage varietal and processing diversity, and maintain consistency despite climate variability and operational realities. We will also re-introduce the newly updated The Coffee Garden of Forking Paths, a sensory naming game developed by Dr. Fabiana Carvalho in collaboration with Alex Gyurkovicz. This card-based method enables intuitive and inclusive discussions about flavour during cupping and provides a consistent way to name new lots each harvest. The workshop combines theory, tasting, and practical exploration.
Participants will:
Learn the principles behind modular blends, including flavour modules and the “rule of three” for varietals and processing methods.
Cup representative flavour modules to understand dominant sensory profiles.
Explore how operational and logistical considerations shape blending decisions and final cup quality.
Apply the card game to appreciate how sensory language can translate into consistent, meaningful coffee names.
In small groups, use modular blending principles to design and name a blend, reinforcing learning in a practical, hands-on way.
This workshop is designed to be interactive, educational, and practical, providing participants with a memorable experience of Brazilian coffee through both tasting and creative problem-solving, while linking cup quality to real-world operational decisions.
Date: Thursday, June 25, 2026
Time: 15:00 - 17:30
Location: Room 1123
REGISTRATION FEES: €150.00
Booking: To book your place in this Workshop, head to the World of Coffee Brussels Registration & Booking Portal and add a session to your order. Already registered? Simply log in using the credentials created at purchase to access your booking and add other paid events to your badge.
Instructors
Dr. Fabiana Carvalho
Researcher, University of Campinas / Mió
Fabiana Carvalho is a neuroscientist who received her MSc in Biochemistry and her PhD in Psychobiology. She is currently a collaborating researcher at the University of Campinas, Brazil, and brand director at Mió. Her main research project “The Coffee Sensorium” is focused on understanding multisensory flavour perception and how it impacts the coffee drinking experience and consumption behaviour. She has published several scientific articles showing the effect of coffee cups and packaging on sensory and hedonic judgements of specialty coffee. This research project has several collaborators such as the SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) and Prof Charles Spence (University of Oxford, UK).
Ana Luiza Pellicer
Commercial Director, Mió
Ana Luiza is Mió's Co-Owner and Commercial Director. Mió is a technology-driven coffee farm and research institute in Monte Santo de Minas, Brazil, that also sources, exports and imports coffee. After managing contemporary art exhibitions throughout Latin America for many years, Ana decided to get involved in the family’s coffee business, transforming it into an international, technology- and science-driven company that covers every part of the coffee supply chain. Ana is currently completing the University of Oxford Executive MBA with a Director’s Merit-based Award.
Grace Talbot
Sales Manager, Mió
Grace Talbot is a UK-based coffee professional with experience across wholesale, education, events, and community engagement. Currently Sales Manager at Mió, she is particularly interested in accessibility, inclusivity, and how value can be more collaboratively created and understood across the coffee supply chain. Grace has emceed major international coffee events including the World Barista Championship at World of Coffee Milan, the World Cup Tasters Championship at World of Coffee Bangkok, and the UK Barista Championships, alongside domestic judging and international training roles. Through her work with Mió, she explores climate-responsive modular blending, sensory science, client experience, and more inclusive approaches to flavour and coffee education, with a focus on making specialty coffee more collaborative, approachable, and resilient