Daterra was conceived in the 80’s, when the term “sustainability” was not even popular as it is today. However the Daterra Coffee project was planned to produce specialty coffee, grounded on envirornmental preservation and social development. Daterra should be able to ensure consistency and trust to our clients building alliances and partnership.
We first started growing coffee in our farm in Franca (Mogiana region) which was formerly used to produce grade A milk. This first coffee venture offeered Daterra’s mastermind, Luis Pascoal, the oportunity to meet Dr. Ernesto Illy, who inspired him to look for lands in Cerrado Mineiro.
We found that the PatrocÃnio area, in Cerrado Mineiro, was exceptional for growing coffee. It had high altitude terroirs that could provide unique flavors and aroma profiles. We also found that the desert-like climate was actually an asset, because it allowed us to control quality during crop season.
That was when we settled down in Cerrado, by acquiring Boa Vista and Tabuoes farms. The estates were in very poor condition though, from both agronomical and environmental perpectives.
We had to reconceive the Cerrado ecosystem fauna, flora, soil and water springs, within the farm and surrondings. To do that, we partnered with ESALQ (Sao Paulo State University – Luiz de Queiroz) and we created the first Daterra’s Environmental standards, called PEA – Program for Environmental Adequacy.
It took Daterra 10 years to recover the area well enough to produce good quality coffee and begin exporting. The learning experience along these years made it possible for us to be the first Rainforest Alliance certified and ISO 14001 certified coffee farm in Brazil. And later we also added UTZ Kapeh and for a small organic portion of our farm, IBD Organic. And to reinforce the principles of sustainability, we determined we could only sell coffee to sustainably certified importers, in order to stimulate the entire production chain. We also share knowledge among smaller producers to promote social progress and coffee security. Also to develop expertise on how to keep producing high quality coffee in harmony with nature.
That is why “Growing Relationship Coffee” is our slogan and philosophy. Because our relationship with the soil, the water, workers, community and everything that sorrounds us, is just as important as our relationship with quality and with our clients around the world.
The journey was not easy or fast, but strong enough to really sustain our dream. The Triple Bottom Line concept “People, Planet and Profit”, required 20 years of investment and resilience to be completed. Today, Daterra is proud of its achievments, that were shared and implemented by our passionate team.
Still, we believe we have very serious challenges to face. Only mitigating the damages caused by farming practices is not enough. We aim to research and continuously innovate, relying on science, technology and lots of passion to protect and improve the second most important hot spot in the world, the Cerrado Bioma.
Certifications
- 1st Rainforest Alliance Certified™ farm in Brazil;
- Sustainable farm model by Illy in 2008;
- 1st Climate-friendly farm verified to meet the Sustainable Agriculture Network’s Climate Module.
- Winner of the prize “Prêmio Fazenda Sustentável 2015” by Globo Rural, Brazil’s major agricultural magazine, as the most sustainable farm in the country
