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When talking about coffee production in Brazil, we must mention Minas Gerais. The state maintains the title of largest national producer of the grain. According to data from the Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Seapa), 21,45 million bags were harvested last year, equivalent to 46% of the harvest across the country.
Among the region's protagonists is the municipality of Patrocínio. With a privileged location in Alto Paranaíba, the city has a mild climate, good water distribution, a large number of streams and an annual rainfall considered ideal for coffee - around 1.600 milliliters. It was with the sum of all these elements, combined with investment in technology and innovation, that AgroBeloni, an entrepreneurial family company, just achieved an unprecedented global milestone.
The Santa Cruz da Vargem Grande farm is the first coffee producer in the world to receive the Regenagri regenerative agriculture certification – an international regenerative agriculture program, which aims to guarantee the health of the land and care for those who live there. “This first global certification is a source of pride for AgroBeloni. It is the commitment to advance further along the path of sustainability and conscious production through the preservation and balance of agriculture with the environment”, says Fernando Nogues Beloni, director of coffee production.
Granted by the British company Control Union, present in more than 70 countries, the certificate recognizes good practices and the use of technology, combined with sustainable actions focused on regenerative agriculture. In greater integration and harmony with nature, regenerative agriculture employs restoring degraded soil, improving biodiversity among pollinators (especially bees and butterflies), and increasing soil carbon capture to create lasting environmental benefits.
The advantages of regenerative agriculture are many, highlighting the reduction in the use of chemical inputs, production of better quality food, reduction in production costs, balance of the biome and reduction of carbon emissions. “Initially we reduced the use of chemical pesticides to enable the regeneration of biological life in the soil and plants on the farm, but upon realizing the general benefits in farming, we decided to professionalize the work focused on regenerative agriculture and hire a consultancy to then obtain certification”, highlights Fernando.
The company's agricultural director, Carmelo Beloni, adds that the achievement represents the company's conscious actions over recent years. “Being sustainable is something inherent to our values, which is why changes are permanent. We treat this as an internal collective conscience and, with this, we know that the certificate also represents a change for the people who make up AgroBeloni in all its sectors”, he reinforces.
Although the Beloni family's relationship with coffee growing is recent, around eight years old, their knowledge in agriculture goes back over five decades and spans generations. AgroBeloni farms have 80% irrigated and well-diversified farming systems. In addition to coffee, which currently occupies an area of 420 hectares of the Arabica variety, there are another 5.000 hectares allocated to multi-crops, such as: soybeans, corn, onions, sorghum, barley, potatoes, wheat, eucalyptus and beans.
According to Fernando, the interest in regenerative agriculture happened naturally and certification was instigated through the sale of his coffee by Expocaccer (Cerrado Coffee Growers Cooperative) to a French company that expressed interest in certification.
“The French asked me if I had something focused on regenerative agriculture. The replacement of chemical fertilizers and pesticides with organic ones, among other sustainable practices, was already a reality on farms and, following their questions, I decided to seek an internationally recognized certification that would confirm what we were already doing. The result was better than expected”, highlighted Fernando Beloni.
For those who produce, regenerative agriculture allows an increase in coffee production and business profitability, with the increase in value of the beans. On the other hand, for consumers, increasingly attentive to the origin and quality of the food that reaches their home tables, coffees originating from regenerative production offer a healthier product, in addition to connecting them to a set of values and processes that involve an ethical and environmentally responsible product.
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