fazenda ambiental fortaleza, mococa, sao paulo, brazil

Our direct contact trade coffees from Brazil are produced and selected by the Barretto Croce family of Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, Mococa, near Sao Paulo.   Since 2001 the family has transitioned their farm towards “more than organic” which means that coffee trees grow naturally without pruning or artificial inputs. Indigenous trees are planted among the coffee so that eventually a forest-like canopy develops to nurture the coffee trees as well as create an environment for diverse species of plants and animals.

The coffee is created from small producer farms in one of the best producing regions in Brazil which includes the neighbors’ of Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza. They share a common vision to produce excellent coffees and a commitment to sustainable agriculture, reducing the harmful effects of humans on the planet.

These small farms are collectively called “Bob-o-Link” and are co-ordinated by Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (Environmental Fortress Farm) who support these smallholders located high in the mountains with agronomy training and market access. Their coffees are picked selectively and carefully dried on terraces by the farmers with final dry mill preparations at Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza. 

+X35The farms with their natural forest corridors provide overwintering homes for the migratory New World Blackbird, commonly called the Bob-o-Link bird (Dolichonynx oryzivorus) because of its distinctive call. The Bob-o-Link bird complete one of the longest known migrations for any neotropical songbird, breeding in the grasslands of North America and wintering in South America, particularly Brazil. The Bob-o-Link has now been recorded in the British Isles so we are delighted to participate in promoting this approach towards sustainable agriculture.