History & Origins
Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza has been owned by the Barretto family since 1850, with Silvia Barretto and her husband Marcos Croce transforming what was originally known as Fazenda Fortaleza into a sustainable operation . The Croce family returned to Brazil in 2001 after spending nearly 20 years in the United States following Brazil’s economic crisis of the 1980s, where they worked importing Brazilian products for dollar store retailers in the Midwest before Silvia inherited the family coffee estate .
In 2001, Silvia changed the name to Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, literally meaning “Environmental Fortress Farm,” marking the beginning of their transformation to organic farming . The family considered their 2,000-acre estate a liability and dramatically reduced coffee cultivation to just 25% of the property, renting vacant land to grazers and allowing portions to return to native forest while subdividing the remainder into experimental projects . In 2007, Marcos exported their first container directly to the United States, winning the Sustainability Award from the Specialty Coffee Association of America in 2008, and in 2009, their son Felipe joined the operation full-time to establish a coffee laboratory .
Terroir & Growing Conditions
Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza is a 2,000-hectare estate located in the Mococa region of São Paulo state in southern Brazil , positioned on the border between São Paulo and Minas Gerais states in the heart of Brazil’s coffee production region known as Alto Mogiana . The estate operates at elevations ranging from 900 to 1,400 meters above sea level in the Mogiana Mountains , benefiting from constant temperatures around 20°C year-round and abundant sunshine that provides high levels of photosynthesis for the coffee plants .
The Mogiana region features hilly terrain ideal for coffee production, situated as a transitional zone between the Atlantic Rainforest wet areas and the Cerrado dry plains . FAF allocates one-third of its 800-hectare productive area as an Environmental Protected Area , implementing sustainable practices including selective harvesting, parcel separation, cover tree planting, and African bed drying while training surrounding micro-farms in sustainable agriculture . Today, FAF works with over 350 producers across Alto Mogiana, Minas Gerais, and the Caparaó region, most operating family farms of 2 to 30 hectares .
Processing & Production
FAF cultivates high-quality Arabica varieties including Yellow and Red Bourbon, Yellow and Red Catuai, Mundo Novo, and the specialty Arara varietal . Harvest occurs manually from May through September , with cherries undergoing predominantly natural processing, dried on raised patios with beans turned periodically for up to 72 hours to ensure even moisture distribution . FAF employs innovative “volcano fermentation” processing, where cleaned and sorted ripe cherries are placed in volcano-shaped mounds over forty hours to ensure even fermentation through controlled temperature increases .
Their meticulous natural processing involves consolidating coffee into thick layers for two-day fermentation before moving to concrete patios, where beans are formed into volcano-shaped mounds and spread hourly until reaching 11% humidity—a process that can take up to 35 days . Felipe Croce established a comprehensive coffee laboratory where lots are separated and studied by varietals and processing methods , with extensive cupping protocols to eliminate any lots that don’t meet quality standards . The estate provides training and instruction on organic and sustainable agriculture to local farmers and volunteers from World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms .
Cup Profile & Tasting Notes
FAF coffees are characterized by milk chocolate and Brazil nut flavors with full body and balanced acidity , producing “beautiful fruit aromas of berries, to jam, to dried apricots and dates” with dense, creamy body resulting from yeast breaking down simple sugars into longer polysaccharide chains . The natural processed coffees display intense chocolate characteristics along with caramel, French vanilla, nuts, and butterscotch notes, described as resembling “a candy bar” . Specific lots offer rich, sticky body with honey-like sweetness, black plum, and milk chocolate in the finish .
At lighter roasts, the coffees exhibit vibrant notes of maple, citrus, and blueberry with lively acidity, while darker roasts emphasize rich chocolate and nutty undertones with caramelized sugars and smooth finish . The cup profile shows versatility with hints of lemon/citrus acidity evolving into smooth chocolate and subtle spice notes when roasted darker, featuring toffee, peanuts, citrus, caramel, and semi-sweet chocolate tones . The signature Bob-o-Link blend delivers a balanced coffee with subtle fruit acidity complemented by the smoothness of milk chocolate and roasted almonds , creating a clean and stable cup with rich chocolate, hint of nuts, and stability and sweetness that lingers smoothly in the aftertaste .