Brazil "Bob-O-Link"

Brazil "Bob-O-Link"

• Roast Profile: Medium
• Flavor Profile: It has medium body and medium acidity with a rich taste and notes of stone fruits and dark chocolate.
• Certification: Organic, shade grown, direct trade

This award winning, coveted Brazilian coffee is naturally (dry) processed giving it that incredible sweet fruity taste and richness in the cup. It is grown organically under the shade of fruit trees and other shade tree varieties which allows the flavor to fully develop in the beans. It is produced by Fazenda Ambiantal Fortaleza (Environmental Fortress Farm) located in the Alta Mogiana Region located in the states of Sao Paulo and Minas Gerais at an elevation between 3300-4300 feet.

Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza has a fascinating history of its transition from a commercial type coffee farm to a leader in the area of sustainable farming, environmental stewardship, and support for the local farmers. Owners Marcos and Silvia Croce who now live on Bob-O-Link Rd. in Illinois learned of the journey that the Bob-O-Link takes each year from the mid-west of North America to the southeast of South America. In 2001, the farm that had been in Silvia's family for 250 years, was passed down to her and her husband. It was fate that they discovered this very same bird wintering on their family's farm in Brazil, so they wanted to pay tribute to the bird by naming their coffee after this amazing traveler.

They knew that changes had to be made in order to produce an amazing coffee without destroying the environment or polluting the waterways. Immediately, they banished all toxic materials, protected the springs, created green corridors for the wildlife, and brought awareness to the workers on their farm.

They added fruit trees such as bananas, mango, and avocado, and planted coffee seedlings in the secondary forests. This not only gave the farm more cash crops, but brought more wildlife and migratory birds to the property. In addition, they started to motivate their workers to continue their education and promoted social integration, personal development, healthy and natural eating habits, and personal skills.

The farm had much success and positive progress, but Marcos and Silvia wanted to create a much wider corridor for the wildlife, so they invited their neighboring farmers to join them in protecting the environment and the waterways to create a much wider free and clean zone for all migratory birds and wildlife.

The Bob-O-Link coffee consists of 3 varietals of Arabica coffee known as Mundo Novo, Catuai, and Bourbon. These varietals are grown by the small farmers all around Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza. When the harvesting is completed, these farmers combine their coffees with the coffee grown on Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza to create this very special "blend" of Brazilian coffees.