JOHAN & NYSTRÖM LÄHETYS
FAF COFFEES BRAZIL
FAF Coffees is run by the Croce family: Marcos, Silvia and their son Felipe. In 2001, Silvia Barretto inherited her family’s coffee farm in Mococa, in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. The family was living in Illinois in the USA at the time, but inheriting the farm marked the beginning of a long-term project to develop the farm and its growing practices.
They wanted to create a farm that could serve as an example of agriculture that offers better conditions for both people and nature. Under the name Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, their work came to include everything from life in the soil to water, forests and the people who live and work here. As Marcos puts it, it’s about thinking far into the future:
"Joten meillä on siis 100 vuoden suunnitelma. Sadan vuoden päästä järjestämme juhlat ja sinut tullaan kutsumaan mukaan. Kaikki mitä teemme tehdään näitä juhlia varten. Kun istutamme puita, kun suojelemme lähteitä, kun rakennamme tilalle minkä tahansa rakennuksen, mitä tahansa teemmekin, niin ajatus on aina sadan vuoden päässä."
A farm with plenty going on
At FAF, coffee fields, woodland and old family homes, some dating back to the 1850s, sit alongside a green coffee export business, a cupping lab, a biofactory and several trial plots. What is learned on the farm is intended to benefit other producers too.
Silvia is responsible for the rest of the farming, from bananas and cattle to milk and cheese, as well as hospitality. Much of what is produced is eaten on the farm, while bananas are sold commercially and honey can be bought in a small shop area. She is also restoring the older houses so that families can move back to the farm.
Making room for a wider variety of plants and animals has long been part of the work. Crops grown here include bananas, avocados, mangoes and passion fruit. Woodland and water sources are protected, and green corridors allow wildlife to move through the landscape.
Felipe’s coffee fields
Felipe is responsible for growing the coffee and is developing an agroforestry system on around thirty hectares leased from his mother. The coffee grows alongside other trees and plants that provide shade, shelter from the wind and organic material for the soil. By choosing suitable species and pruning them at the right time, he works to improve the soil and create conditions in which coffee trees can thrive.
The fields are also laid out so they can be managed with machinery. Felipe tries different approaches and adjusts them as he learns, aiming to make the system work for the coffee, the people who tend it and the farm’s finances.
Bacteria and fungi in the biofactory
Selected bacteria and fungi are multiplied in the farm’s biofactory for use in the fields. The bacteria are grown in large tanks, and the resulting biological treatments can be applied to the soil or sprayed onto the leaves, depending on what they are intended to do. One example Felipe gives is the use of biological alternatives to manage coffee leaf rust.
The biofactory operates through a partnership in which FAF and other farmers share the production costs. This makes the knowledge and treatments available to more growers, while the work to develop and evaluate the treatments continues.
From a family farm to a network of farmers
The family realised early on that change needed to extend beyond their own farm. This became the starting point for Bob-o-link Coffees, a network of producers working towards better coffee with greater care for nature and life on the farms. The migratory bobolink bird, which is affected when forests and varied landscapes are replaced by monocultures, became a symbol for the work.
Today, FAF’s work with producers includes coffee purchasing, quality development and several different projects. For a healthy soil is one of them. Another is Future Farmers, through which producers receive training and advice to gradually develop more regenerative farming practices.
Our partnership with FAFCoffees
We first bought coffee through FAF in 2010, and our relationship with Marcos, Silvia, Felipe and the producers has grown over the years. We buy both microlots from individual producers and blends from several producers in Serra dos Ciganos. You’ll find these coffees in Bold Statement, Bobolink and the coffee we roast for Arket.
Our partnership also includes support for projects and practical work on the farm and across the network. We’ve contributed funding to two nurseries, one for coffee plants and one for other trees. Together, our coffee purchases and project support can help develop farming practices and strengthen our relationships over time.
