From Sao Paulo we traveled to Fazenda Ambiental Fortaleza (FAF), home of the Bob-O-Link. Unfortunately this was a sad and disappointing visit. We were told by owner Marcos Croce that the high quality Bob-O-Link we loved in the past would now be a lower quality blend that does not meet Klatch standards. We also tried many-many cups which Marcos called “micro lots,” unfortunately they were mediocre in quality, and had prices at Cup of Excellence (COE) levels. We also learned, from Marcos himself over drinks one night, that he gets 25% of what he sells from neighboring farms. These margins are two and half to three times what most exporters make and not a fair model to the farmer or the consumer. It was very sad to see what started as something good is being ruined by the greed of one person. To say the least, we will not be carrying any of his coffee in the future.

In the days following Mike’s blog post, FAF vendor Tim Wendelboe spoke out on Twitter:

Professional relationships begin and end all the time in this industry, especially when taking into account the vagaries of agriculture…but really, why splash it all over the internet like jilted teenage heartache? This is like breaking up with someone on Facebook, then peppering your status updates with denouncements and Smiths lyrics.

The post It’s Complicated: Klatch Breaks Up With FAF appeared first on Sprudge.com.