FAF

In Brazil’s Mogiana region, Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza grows specialty coffee within a thriving ecosystem, where coffee plants coexist with trees, shrubs, many different species of bees, fertile soil, shade and biodiversity.

Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza, commonly known as FAF, is located in Mococa, in the state of São Paulo, within the Mogiana coffee-growing region.

It is a historic estate, connected to the Barreto family since 1850. Its more recent story began in the early 2000s, when Silvia Barreto and Marcos Croce decided to transform a conventional coffee farm into a model of organic, sustainable and regenerative agriculture.

Since then, FAF has worked towards more than simply producing coffee. Its mission is to regenerate the soil, build fairer relationships with people and demonstrate that Brazil – often associated with the large-scale production of commodity coffee – can also embrace a different way of growing coffee.

The estate has been certified organic for approximately twenty years and follows a regenerative agroforestry approach.

This means that the coffee plants do not grow in isolation, arranged in perfectly uniform rows and separated from the surrounding environment. Instead, they grow beneath and alongside taller trees and different species of shrubs, which provide shade, organic matter and renewed life to the soil.

Plants, insects, birds and bees all coexist across the estate. Biodiversity is not simply an aesthetic feature: it is an integral part of the farming system. It helps keep the soil fertile, improves water retention – particularly important at a time when water is becoming an increasingly precious and limited resource –supports the balance of the ecosystem and creates healthier conditions for coffee plants to grow.

Bees are also raised on the estate to produce honey, while cattle provide milk for cheesemaking and certified organic meat.

FAF also operates its own biofactory, where it produces preparations based on beneficial bacteria and fungi. These help protect and nourish the coffee plants in a way that is far more respectful of the environment than the conventional use of chemical pesticides. This reduces the estate’s reliance on external inputs and supports an agricultural system that is consistent with its broader vision.