This coffee's story

Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, or FAF, has been part of the Barretto-Croce family since 1850. What began as a traditional Brazilian coffee farm has, over the past two decades, evolved into something much bigger: a model for regenerative agriculture, a coffee research and quality hub, and a network of small family producers working towards a different future for Brazilian coffee.

At the heart of FAF’s work is the belief that coffee quality and the health of the land cannot be separated. Together with their partner farms, they focus on healthy soils, biodiversity, clean water, agroforestry and farming systems designed to improve the land rather than simply maintain it. Just as importantly, FAF works closely with producers to improve quality and create long-term economic value through specialty coffee.

Our lot comes from Serra dos Ciganos, a mountainous community in Caconde on the border of São Paulo and Minas Gerais. Rich in natural springs, the valley forms part of an important watershed feeding the Rio Pardo River. Many of the families farming here have been growing coffee for four generations.

FAF began working with the community in 2008, introducing a different approach to coffee production. Rather than treating coffee primarily as a commodity, the focus shifted towards understanding it as a beverage, improving harvesting, processing and drying to reveal the individual character and quality of each lot.

Together with João Hamilton dos Santos, head of the Serra dos Ciganos community, FAF established a shared wet mill and what they call the Serra dos Ciganos Center for Coffee Excellence. It serves not only as a place to process coffee, but as a hub where producers exchange knowledge, experiment with new techniques and continue improving quality together.

Our coffee is part of the FAF Reserve selection, coffees chosen from the very best lots produced by FAF’s partner farms and handcrafted by individual farming families.

Processing

For this coffee, the cherries are dried whole, allowing the fruit, mucilage and seed to remain together throughout the process. But rather than simply leaving the cherries to dry, the process happens slowly and in numerous carefully controlled stages.

The freshly picked cherries are first sorted before being spread in thin layers, allowing for an even and gentle start to the drying process. As the cherries gradually lose moisture, the depth of the layers is adjusted and the coffee is repeatedly moved, turned and regrouped. In the later stages, the cherries are carefully spread and gathered again to slow down and control the final part of the drying.

This gradual approach gives FAF much greater control over the natural fermentation happening inside the fruit. The goal is not to create an overly fermented or funky natural, but to build sweetness, fruit and body while keeping the cup remarkably clean and balanced.

Only once the cherries have slowly reached their target moisture are they rested and prepared for milling. The result is the kind of natural FAF has become known for: expressive and fruit-driven, but with clarity at its core.