Latinx Entrepreneur Brews a Business From a Century of Family Traditions

Augusto Carneiro’s passion for coffee traces back to a coffee farm in the Brazilian Highlands that his family has owned since the 1890’s.

Augusto spent much of his childhood on the farm, and the joy of those days never left him. Years later, in his new home of Portland, Ore., Augusto decided to leave his career in mechanical engineering and bring his family’s coffee to America. The result was Nossa Familia Coffee, a small coffee purveyor with two brick-and-mortar locations in Portland and a website, where customers can find a range of coffee roasts and brewing accessories to elevate the at-home coffee experience.

Now, Augusto is poised to share his passion with the nation. Nossa Familia Coffee is one of 12 Latinx-owned businesses joining Qurate Retail Group’s Small Business Spotlight for Hispanic Heritage Month, which is celebrated from September 15 to October 15. Small Business Spotlight is a collaboration between Qurate Retail and the National Retail Federation (NRF) Foundation to offer diverse small businesses increased exposure through QVC’s, HSN’s, and Zulily’s platforms.

“We have such delicious coffee that my family has been growing in Brazil for over 100 years,” said Augusto, Founder and Chief Friendship Officer at Nossa Familia. “But we are an immigrant-owned company that started from scratch, with virtually no investment, so there have been many barriers to expanding our brand nationally. Now that we’re in the Small Business Spotlight program, we’re looking forward to broadening our audience, meeting new coffee lovers, and sharing our craft with them.”

Six Hispanic and Latinx-owned businesses, including Nossa Familia Coffee, will tell their stories live on air at QVC and HSN, and their video will also be shared on QVC’s and HSN’s social pages, streaming service, and YouTube channels. In addition, these businesses will be featured on QVC’s and HSN’s digital platforms, including a profile on the Small Business Spotlight landing pages on QVC.com and HSN.com, and will be offered virtual mentoring with Qurate Retail Group team members. Six additional businesses will be highlighted on QVC’s and HSN’s digital platforms and will receive social tools and resources to share their participation. The Small Business Spotlight program is also promoted on Zulily’s digital platforms.

During Hispanic Heritage Month, QVC and HSN will also promote a line of products curated to celebrate and support the Hispanic and Latinx community, including fashion, food, and home décor items. In addition, QVC.com and HSN.com will feature our current Latinx vendors, with links to their pages on our websites where customers can learn about each business and shop its products.

Qurate Retail Group and the NRF Foundation are supporting 100 entrepreneurs of diverse backgrounds this year through the Small Business Spotlight initiative. The program builds on Qurate Retail Group’s longstanding foundation of supporting small businesses and reflects our and NRF Foundation’s commitment to increasing opportunities for underrepresented groups.

To see the businesses in this month’s Small Business Spotlight and hear their stories, visit the Small Business Spotlight pages on QVC.com and HSN.com.