The speed of communication in the 21st century requires that institutions constantly modernize their relationship with their target audience, since any investments in science and technology will only yield tangible results if and when they actually reach the fields. In response to the new challenges, the Brazilian Consortium for Coffee Research and Development CBP&D/Café in partnership with the private company P&A Marketing International innovated one more time by participating in the Pearibus virtual social network platform: a collaboration, knowledge and business network known as “Rede Cafés do Brasil” (Coffees of Brazil Network). Peabirus (www.peabirus.com.br) is a social media platform designed to produce added value gains for production chains of most varied sectors that have among their members agents with common interests. The platform enables the participating virtual networks to organize themselves and articulate among each other in a way as to allow strategic alignment of the players involved. The networks, the communities and their respective members form a new relationship environment which, through collaboration, knowledge and business understanding, promotes continued innovation and economic development. What differentiates this virtual network is that members participation is guided and moderated. The concept of governance is also applied, with a Managing Group whose mission consists of facilitating the relationships building process, assessing and helping to keep focus on achieving the goals of the network. All actions undertaken within the framework of the Peabirus platform, Coffees of Brazil network, and Coffee Field Management and Coffee Marketing communities - object of the present study - involve the “ social media” concept. The objective of this study is to evaluate the use of the social media Peabirus platform by the user-members of the Coffees of Brazil Network and /or participants of the Coffee Field Management and Coffee Marketing communities in finding technical and scientific information related to themes and topics deemed relevant to the coffee-producing and trading sector. An exploratory research approach was used to conduct this study. The active moderating approach can be regarded as key to the success of each of the communities that are part of the network. Relevant issues to the coffee sector reached an exponential number of readers. This turns Coffees of Brazil Network into a powerful tool to promote sustained and comprehensive interaction between major players in coffee agribusiness.

1. COFFEES OF BRAZIL NETWORK: PARTICIPATIVE
BUILDING OF KNOWLEDGE WITHIN THE
AGROINDUSTRIAL COFFEE SYSTEM
Sérgio Parreiras Pereira - IAC
Cibele Maria Garcia de Aguiar – EMBRAPA Café
Paulo Henrique Leme – P&A Marketing International

2. SOCIAL NETWORKS AND
WEB 2.0 CONCEPT
20
• communication tools in 21st century
• internet and web 2.0 concept from:
– spectators to participants
– traditional media channels to
collaborative building
• popularization of social networks (myspace,
facebook, orkut…)
• unimaginable solution for new challenges
– researchers, consultants, professionals,
consumers
– sharing and creating knowledge

3. PLATFORM PEABIRUS
• Brazilian Consortium for Coffee Research
and Development and P&A Marketing
International
• participating virtual social network:
“Rede Cafés do Brasil”
• platform “Peabirus”
– added value gains for production chains
– agents with common interests
– set up in common interest communities
– innovation, economic development,
knowledge transfer

4. INTERACTION IN COFFEES OF
BRAZIL NETWORK
• members participation is guided and
moderated
• Managing Group
– facilitates relationships
– achieving network goals
• Study objects: 2 communities
– Coffee Field Management and Coffee
Marketing
• dynamic information exchange

5. OBJECTIVE
• evaluate the use of the social media
Peabirus platform by the user-members of
the Coffees of Brazil Network
• participants of the Coffee Field Management
and Coffee Marketing communities
• fi di technical and scientific information
finding t h i l d i tifi i f ti
related to themes and topics deemed
relevant to the coffee-producing and trading
coffee producing
sector
• exploratory study
p y y
– provide a general view of a certain fact

6. COFFEES OF BRAZIL NETWORK
• gather people in communities with coffee
common interests in their search for
innovation and increased competitiveness
• more then 2500 registered members
• 50 communities:
– coffee production and trade
– thematic
– institutions or companies
• gathering researchers, field technologists,
consultants, farmers
consultants farmers, professionals in
coffee growing and trading
• share information, research demands and
,
technology transfer

7. COFFEES OF BRAZIL NETWORK
• network Interconnections:
PARTICIPANTS
COLLABORATORS
RACTION
INTER N
MEDIATORS
MANAGING
GROUP
INTERACTION

8. COFFEES OF BRAZIL NETWORK
• network Interconnections:
PARTICIPANTS
INTERACTION
TY
MMUNIT COLLABORATORS
SUPPORT /
MEDIATORS
COM
LINK
MANAGING
GROUP STRATEGY
COMMUNITY

9. COMMUNITIES CONTENTS
CREATING COLLABORATIVE
KNOWLEDGE

10. COFFEE FIELD MANAGEMENT
COMMUNITY
• one of the coffee consortium communities
• 800 members
• 920 posts on different coffee issues
• Google analytics:
• 82.759 visits
• 33.000 people
• 53 countries
• search engines: 43%
• local traffic: 33%
• referring sites: 24%

11. COFFEE FIELD MANAGEMENT
COMMUNITY
• relevant topic: flowering frustration in 2006
• mediator sent message
• many replies from different coffee regions
• knowledge collective building
• 30 comments
• 1000 visits
• heterogeneous participants
g p p
• technical and scientific knowledge
dissemination through technicians and
consultants
• media reference

12. COFFEE FIELD MANAGEMENT
COMMUNITY

13. MARKETING COMMUNITY
• promote interaction between the members on
subject matters directly related to the
j y
marketing of coffee and consumption
• knowledge and business
g
• 18 326 visits
18.326
• 10.933 people
• 53 countries
• search engines: 72%
• local traffic: 17%
• referring sites: 11%

14. MARKETING COMMUNITY
• most viewed topics: consumer related
• coffee shops: news clipping, information
• Brazilian cafes and Starbucks news
• search engines result
g
• “Your opinion topics” launched by mediator
• calling user’s attention
g
• polemic issues
• great interaction in the topic “QUESTION:
g p Q
Production of special coffees (organic,
gourmet, fair trade)”
• major issues involved in the production of
specialty coffees: quality, standards,
sustainability and others
t i bilit d th

15. MARKETING COMMUNITY

16. CONCLUDING REMARKS
• success key: mediator role in promoting
interaction and gathering contact
• efficient agent of networking
• communication channel
• social media tools can be successfully used
to promote interactions among
geographically dispersed agents
• contribute to create and distribute collective
t ib t t t d di t ib t ll ti
knowledge to coffee chain agents
• is it possible to repeat this success?
• in a worldwide level?

17. COFFEE RESEARCHERS’ FORUM
- agronomy, technology, science, innovation
- a place to exchange ideas and projects and to
promote innovation
- permanent discussion forum for ASIC
- Shall we take this opportunity?
DO YOU WANT TO MEDIATE THIS
COMMUNITY?

18. COFFEECLUB
NETWORK
www.coffeeclubnetwork.com

19. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!
Sérgio Parreiras Pereira - IAC
Cibele Maria Garcia de Aguiar – EMBRAPA Café
Paulo Henrique Leme – P&A Marketing International
bi b
www.peabirus.com.br
www.coffeeclubnetwork.com