On September 22nd, we had a super important Results Meeting here at Café Apuí Agroflorestal, with everyone involved in our Initiative. Amazônia Agroflorestal is a startup dedicated to socio-bioeconomy, growing coffee through agroforestry systems that restore degraded areas with native species. Our operations stand out in Apuí, one of the regions that suffered most from deforestation in the Amazon in 2022. We have a team that spreads from São Paulo to Apuí, with employees in several cities in Brazil. This in itself presents us with considerable management challenges. Especially when we are a company with a strong commitment to sustainability and a mission to grow to positively impact the world.
At this meeting we managed to bring everyone together, which, given our busy schedules, is an achievement in itself. We achieve something that goes beyond simple “alignment” – we delve deeply into our issues. We shared each person's challenges and triumphs, whether in the office or in the field, on the technical support team or in communications. This allowed us to humanize relationships and show the effort dedicated by each person to make the innovation in our Initiative work.
In the virtual environment of the video call, we are able to create a connection with the purpose that unites us. This was a crucial moment to strengthen our ties and our actions. When everyone realizes that others are committed to making things happen at work, empathy between colleagues flourishes. This helps us identify our challenges, but also highlights the value of our effort. Amid the pressure to make it all work, we often forget to recognize and celebrate our achievements. We face significant challenges, which is why we need to appreciate what we have overcome before jumping onto the next problem.
Moments like these also remind us that growth without sustainable development is empty. This shift in mindset has been happening for decades, but now we need to apply it. True sustainability only exists when the benefits outweigh the impacts on the environment, finances and people. It's an "and" not an "or". If any one of these pillars weakens, the entire structure is compromised, and it is often the people who suffer the most. If people's well-being does not overcome the challenges, we need to rethink our motivations. The "socio" is the first part of the "sociobioeconomy", and this meeting was a great reminder of that.
Let's continue moving forward together on our sustainable journey at Café Apuí Agroflorestal!