Seated on deck chairs around the back of the lively illy stand, to the backdrop of the loud music and bustling festival – and plied by illy’s zero waste soft serve ice cream and espresso martinis – I quizzed Franco on the importance and significance of regenerative agriculture and its certification.

Franco explained that illy is the first brand with the complete certification, meaning that all the steps throughout the company’s supply chain are audited and certified. Not only is illy’s Brasile Arabica Selection Coffee Regenagri certified, but so is the company itself. Therefore, any other coffee illy sells that comes from Regnagri certified farms, via a certified producer, is also covered.

When certifying farms, Regenagri looks at the full set of criteria, whether that be soil health; reduction in use of water and energy; biodiversity; use of fertilisers; intercropping; or conservation efforts. They are all measured and assessed and scored against, said Franco. Farms or businesses need a Regenagri score of 65 per cent to achieve the certification. “We look at the whole picture. Consider it like a puzzle, where each of the components has weight, and each of the components is measured and verified for improvement, and everything together gives the final result of the Regenagri certification,” said Franco. He added that, crucially, the programme requires improvement every year: “you cannot be certified Regenagri and let things stay,” he said, and this is what drives the impact of the certification.

This improvement is crucial and needs to be tangible. If a company does not improve, Regenagri requires it to submit an improvement plan to shape their strategy. Franco explains that they don’t want to immediately cut companies out that haven’t improved, because farming is more complicated than that. If improvement is not seen in the first year, they have to submit an improvement plan, which is verified the following year. If they are still not able to achieve results, they cannot stay in the programme and remain Regenagri certified. “I think it is a fair balance between helping them and giving them some urgency as well,” commented Marco.

And there is urgency for these changes, especially in coffee. “There is strong power from both sides [consumer and company] to engage with the farmers and with the suppliers, and to reward them for their efforts to do better farming, and then also the power towards consumers to convey the right message,” said Franco. He added that consumers are getting increasingly aware and knowledgeable about sustainable farming and the environment, but they need to be much more informed about regenerative farming. Brands that take on the Regenagri certification and display it on their products are part of this consumer education.

Each company that is working towards or has achieved a Regenagri certification will have entirely context specific plans. What this means, Franco explained, is that each of the criteria is assessed based on the specific context, which region, which climatic area, the type of soil where they are farming. Different areas will have different needs and priorities and the Regenagri plan can be adjusted accordingly.

I then asked about whether the new EU Deforestation Regulations (EUDR) is expected to impact Regenagri’s work in any way, or if it’s being welcomed with open arms. Franco responded that “the eligibility criteria of the Regenagri standard for farms has always included the checks to see if the applicant has been involved in deforestation or conservation; it’s been there since the beginning …, so basically the EUDR is embedded into the original standard.”

While regenerative agriculture practices are recommended to all kinds of farming, Franco explained that there is special potential in coffee. “In this case in Brazil, the reductions of carbon footprint for coffee is actually nearly double what is achieved in other arable crops.” He added that “in Brazil, I think there are approximately 50,000 hectares of farms that are certified. If you put them all together, in one year they have essentially reduced [the equivalent of] ten per cent of the carbon footprint of London.” When companies first start on their regenerative agriculture journey, there is huge room for improvement, then as they improve “the curve flattens a bit,” but the impact is great.

It is all moving in the right direction, companies and farms just need to be educated and motivated to make the change. When I asked whether Franco thought that governments should be doing more to incentivise and perhaps subsidise regenerative agriculture transitions, Franco commented, “I’m not always in favour of subsidising something; I’m more of a believer of letting the system create value by itself. Subsidising usually means creating a bubble,” he said, emphasising it is more important for a true economic system to be developed to support the regenerative supply chain, where value and impact is recognised.

Hopefully, going forward, we will see many more companies being certified by Regenagri, especially in coffee and tea where there is huge potential, as well as already existing practices that champion regenerative agriculture. Steps like this by the big coffee and tea organisations are essential at this stage to safeguard our industry.

• Kathryn Brand, associate editor, Tea & Coffee Trade Journal.
  Keep in touch via email: kathryn@bellpublishing.com Twitter: @TCTradeJournal or LinkedIn: Tea & Coffee Trade Journal

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Another accomplishment for Expocacer was that the cooperative became the first in the world to receive the regenerative certification at the end of 2023.

“Our strategy is aligned with market demands, not only for coffee as a product, but mainly focusing on the production and consumption chain. These results represent the effort and commitment of our cooperators who have been doing an excellent job for years, as much with society as with the beans and the environment,” said Ítalo Henrique, Expocacer’s commercial director.

With more than 8,100 hectares of regenerative coffee, the cooperative received the certificate from Regenagri, a global organisation that aims to guarantee the health and preservation of the soil, certified by the British Control Union. This label confirms the integrity of Expocacer’s processes in receiving and processing certified regenerative coffees, highlighting the sustainable practices carried out, such as renewable energy, selective collection and traceability of stored coffees, following the product’s journey from its entry into the warehouse to its distribution to final consumers.

ESG Initiatives 

Still thinking about the environment, the cooperative has adopted clean and sustainable energy consumption through photovoltaic solar power generation. The initiative will promote a permanent reduction in Expocacer’s carbon emissions and electricity costs, which should be a monthly reduction in the emission of 12 tons of carbon. The energy generated by the solar panels is equivalent to planting 105.8 trees, avoiding the emission of 77.45 tons of CO² and not using 65.22 tons of charcoal.

The year was marked by several innovative initiatives and partnerships, such as the publication of a study by the Institute for Forest and Agricultural Management and Certification (Imaflora), carried out on 20 coffee farms associated with the cooperative, which shows that the farms capture more carbon than they emit. The institute found negative emissions of -0.2 tons of carbon dioxide, equivalent to one hectare per year.

This phenomenon occurs when the carbon capture from the soil and plants is greater than emissions, and by analysing the farms’ GHG emission estimates, Imaflora got at an absolute value of 15,400 tCO2e.year-1, which is considered very low.

“Expocacer’s producers are always at the forefront of technology, innovation and sustainability. The carbon balance study, carried out in partnership with Imaflora, proves the sustainable work that our producers have been doing for over ten years. We also have an exclusive department for sustainability issues, where we guide and encourage good practices among our cooperators,” said Farlla Gomes, Expocaccer’s technical coordinator for sustainability.

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This phenomenon occurs when carbon sequestration from the soil and plants is greater than emissions, and by analysing the farms’ GHG emission estimates, Imaflora arrived at an absolute value of 15,400 tCO2e.year-1, which is considered low.

The use of organic fertilisers (chicken litter, cattle manure, etc.) and vegetable waste (from pruning, straw and grasses) used on the analysed farms was a positive factor in mitigating greenhouse gases, to the detriment of adding chemical nitrogen. The addition of these inputs can also increase the amount of carbon stored and improve soil quality, which in the medium and long terms increase nutrient cycling, porosity and water retention in the soil.

“Expocacer’s members are always at the forefront of technology, innovation and sustainability. The carbon balance carried out in partnership with Imaflora showcases the sustainable work that our members have been doing for over ten years. We’re moving forward together, towards an increasingly sustainable, low-emission coffee plantation,” said Farlla Gomes, Expocaccer’s technical coordinator for sustainability.

Also according to the survey, other relevant aspects to be considered are increased energy efficiency in the use of machinery, which can be achieved with improved process traceability and georeferenced technology, contributing to the reduction of diesel, man/machine ratio and soil compaction.

“The Carbon on Track platform carries out a series of studies on agriculture on demand. In the coffee sector, the emphasis remains: farms with more sustainable agricultural techniques are not only able to reduce their emissions, but also contribute to carbon sequestration. This carbon-negative grain gains added value and shows that sustainability is good business,” believes Alessandro Rodrigues, projects and services coordinator for Imaflora’s Climate and Emissions area.

For Expocacer, the trend towards reducing greenhouse gases is something that should be followed by other farms around the world. Every farm has the potential to contribute, for example, by applying organo-mineral fertilisers and organic compounds instead of chemical ones. If it is necessary to use chemical fertilisers because the cost is lower, they should be used via fertigation (aquammonia), avoiding the spraying of pure urea or formulated fertilisers. Straw and bark waste can also be reused in the form of organic compost to reduce the potential mineralisation of nitrogen in the soil, there are many ways to achieve sustainable production.

The cooperative was recently named the first coffee cooperative in the world to be awarded the Regenerative Certification by Regenagri, a global organisation that aims to guarantee the health and preservation of the soil, with certification from the British Control Union. This seal confirms the integrity of the cooperative’s processes in receiving and processing certified regenerative coffees, highlighting the sustainable practices that are carried out, such as renewable energy, selective collection and the traceability of stored coffees, following the product’s journey from its entry into warehouses, to distribution centers and to consumers.

The study also points out that the use of sustainable practices helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the long term, as they tend to improve soil quality and reduce the use of external inputs such as nitrogen, phosphorus and glyphosate.

Scope of the study – Expocacer’s cooperative farms, that took part in this project are located in the region of Patrocínio, Minas Gerais, in the Cerrado biome. The average coffee production area of these farms is 192.4 ha, ranging from 40 to 371 ha with very dense areas, with an average stand of 4,370 plants.ha-1. This farms are generally fertirrigated and highly mechanised (planting, fertilising and harvesting are mechanised in most areas). The average yield was 30.6 bags.ha-1, considered above the Brazilian average (21 bags.ha-1).

“Our intention is to promote real sustainability, in line with our purpose of inspiring, fostering and nurturing cutting-edge coffee growing linked to impact. We understand that the market is increasingly demanding and that we have to meet and accompany the movement towards a healthy environment. To this end, we have an exclusive department for sustainability issues, where we also guide and encourage good practices among our members,” said Simão Pedro de Lima, managing director of Expocacer.

Carbon on Track – This is an Imaflora programme designed to raise the profile of low-carbon Brazilian agriculture and forest restoration on the climate agenda. Through the programme, agricultural enterprises can contract the calculation of the carbon balance that shows the estimated emission and removal of greenhouse gases from their activities, based on internationally recognised methodologies.

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This label verifies the origin and quality of coffee produced using regenerative practices that are received in the warehouses. To acquire the certification, Expocacer’s environmental, social, and governance responsibility was evaluated, and it received 100% approval in these criteria.

“Projects and initiatives such as ‘Elas no Café,’ ‘Jornada da Qualidade,’ ‘Expocacer Teens,’ and others that work to promote sustainable actions within the coffee community were essential for this achievement, along with our exclusive department dedicated to sustainability-related matters, where we provide guidance to our members,” said Simão Pedro de Lima, executive director of Expocacer.

Regenerative coffee farming adopts practices aimed at preserving soil health, increasing biodiversity, protecting water resources, and enhancing the resilience of agricultural systems. Among the advantages of regenerative practices are the preservation of flora and fauna, cost reduction, decreased pollution, improved coffee quality, increased resilience to climate change, and reduced deforestation. This year, with support from Brazilian Support Service for Micro and Small Businesses (Sebrae), Expocacer has already managed to certify 14 cooperative members, a number that is expected to grow to 24 by the end of 2023.

“We are very proud because this achievement confirms the work that has been carried out for years by Expocacer. This certification strengthens our commitment to ensuring sustainable and high-quality coffee production for our cooperative members, customers, employees, and commercial and institutional partners,” commented Farlla Gomes, sustainability manager of Expocacer.

For the cooperative, the automated traceability that utilises RFID technology (radio-frequency identification) and allows producers to know the exact location of their coffee in the cooperative’s warehouses was also a differentiating factor in obtaining the certification, recognising the care that Expocacer takes with the coffee from its members.

Recently, the world’s first regenerative agriculture-certified coffee has also begun to be distributed globally in retail by the Italian brand Illy Caffè, in partnership with the Cerrado Coffee Growers Federation and Expocacer. With notes of intense caramel, the product is already available in 50 countries, with plans to expand to 140 by 2024.

“Obtaining the regenerative certification for Expocacer represents reaching a higher level of value expansion because this achievement directly influences the core of our business. It’s the conjunction of a set of ideas, strategies, and attitudes that are ecologically correct, economically viable and socially fair, ensuring a supply without compromising the one future generations,” concluded Flávia Nunes, director of operations and logistics at Expocacer.

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