JOHAN & NYSTRÖM PRESENT
FAF COFFEE'S BRAZIL
The FAF Coffees is run by the Croce, Marcos, Silvia and their son Filipe, 2001, when the family lived in Illinois, the United States of America, Silvia inherited the family's coffee cake 'Fazenda Fortaleza' in Mocooa, Brazil.
They decided to create a project that would affect their lives, a project for a purpose, and decided to make this farm a model for a sustainable farm. They decided early to turn the farm into something that was sustainable in the long term for people and the environment. They forbade all types of environmentally hazardous substances and renamed the Fazenda. Ambiental Fortaleza, as on English means "Environmental Fortress Farm’.
When he was talking about their farm, Marcos Croce said ;
" So, what we have is a 10-year plan. Everyone's going to be at this party in a hundred years and you're invited. All we think about is for the party of a hundred years ; when we plant trees, when we protect the water, when we put a building in the yard. No matter what we do, we'll think of a hundred years. "
Making coffee in a sustainable way also means creating 'green corridors' for wild animals and preserving all water sources in the area. They also grow more types of plants, including banana, avocados, mangoes and passion fruit. Together with the already rich surrounding forest, this creates a natural cycle and a rich fauna, both for the benefit of animals, but also to create an ecosystem which minimises the need to protect the coffee tree.
The family realized that, even if they did everything in their power to improve the environment around them, it had very little effect if their neighbours were to continue as usual. That is why they decided to try to extend their philosophy to all producers in the region. The Bob-o-link bird, whose supply and migration patterns were threatened by deforestation and a one-sided cultivation, became a symbol of something needed to be done.
The result is Bob-o-link Coffees -a network of producers who all have the ambition to produce high quality coffee in harmony with nature. Like Marcos Croce said ;
"The Bob-o-link project is a group of farmers who care, care about today and care about tomorrow."
These farms in the mountain region are at altitudes from 900 to 1400 m. h. and cultivate the Bourbon, Mundo Novo and Catuai (Bourbon) variety. Most farms are small, driven by a single family and are at the top of the mountains-the perfect environment for making coffee.
Today, the FAF Coffee is not just a sustainable coffee farm, but also a network of farmers, a centre for coffee testing and an export company transporting coffee all over the world.
We bought our first coffee from FAF Coffees 2010 and ours. Brazil Fortaleza has been a beloved favorite in our range since 2013. We buy about 38 tons of coffee every year. It fills up 2 whole containers, and to put it into perspective, it's 640 sacks of raw coffee. We buy many different lottery tickets and do not just use them for our Seasonal Origin and to the Limited Edition coffee, but also as part of some of our breakups and espresso mixtures.
The relationship we have with Marcos, Felipe and Silvia are exactly in line with our purchasing philosophy, and it is no accident that we chose to launch our espresso Bob-o-link with an Direct Trade icon on the label. When you purchase this espresso, you also participate and contribute to the project. "For a healthy soil" as you can read more about here.
Bob-o-link
This single origin espresso has flavors of chocolate, caramel and sweet plums. The coffee comes from a long-term partnership with the farmers of the Bob-o-link project in Brazil.
We invest SEK 5 per kilo we sell in the project 'For a healthy soil' together with FAF Coffees.
The initiators of Bob-o-link are the Croce family, who since 2001 run the farm Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza. They have since transformed the old family farm into a model farm when it comes to sustainable farming methods. FAF Coffees today includes a network of farmers, a center for coffee studies and an export company that ships coffee all over the world.
The family realized that although they did everything in their power to improve the environment around them, it had very little effect if their neighbors continued as before. Therefore, it was decided to try to extend their philosophy to the producers in the area. The bird Bob-o-link, whose livelihood and migration patterns were threatened by deforestation, monocultures of soybeans and corn, became a symbol that something had to be done.
The result is "Bob-o-link Coffees", a network of producers who all have the ambition to produce high-quality coffee in harmony with nature. These farms are located in the mountainous Mogiana region (states of São Paulo and Minas Gerais), at altitudes varying from 900 to 1400 meters above sea level, and grow varieties such as Bourbon, Mundo Novo and Catuai. Most of the farms are small and family run and are located on top of the mountains, the perfect environment for growing coffee! The berries are then selectively picked by hand and dried on terraces next to their homes.
Growing coffee sustainably means, among other things, excluding all types of environmentally hazardous substances, creating "green corridors" for wildlife and conserving all water sources in the area. They also grow more types of plants including banana, avocado, mango and passion fruit to, together with the already rich surrounding forest, get a natural cycle and a rich fauna. Both for the sake of the animals, but also to create an ecosystem that naturally minimizes the need to protect the coffee trees.
FAF helps producers with training in harvesting techniques, pruning and drying, but also financial assistance if needed. The network grows larger every year, as more producers see the benefits that come with the work. Both for nature, and also because they get paid better for their coffee, which also creates sustainability for the families.
The coffee comes directly to us at the roastery in Länna without intermediaries and is then carefully roasted. The experienced coffee drinker will find notes of chocolate, butterscotch and sweet plums. Everyone else will enjoy a richly sweet and tasty cup of espresso both with and without milk.
We at J&N have bought coffee from the Croce family since 2010 and the relationship we have with Marcos, Filipe and Silvia is exactly in line with our purchasing philosophy. It is therefore no coincidence that we choose to launch this limited espresso with a Direct Trade stamp on the front. Read more about Direct Trade here.
COFFEE INFO
Origin: Brazil
Region: Sao Paulo
Procucent: FAF Coffees
Farm: Bob-o-link producers in Serra do Cigano
Altitude: 1100-1300 m.a.s.l.
Variety: Red Catuai, Mundo Novo, Bourbon
Process: Natural
Flavors: Chocolate, caramel, sweet plums
Brewing method: We have roasted it as an espresso, but many people think it tastes amazing as a brew too! Try it yourself!
Contents: 100% coffee
