Apuí, in the northern Amazonas, is a city marked in history by the largest rural settlement project in the country, the PA Juma River, which brought a population (from the south, southeast and northeast of Brazil to the city) that had a coffee plantation culture.
 

However, due to the very different climatic and soil conditions, the coffee planted in the Amazon had a low productivity and many producers abandoned their coffee plantations, prefering other productions, such as extensive livestock, which today is the main means of production in the region. In the 2000s, growers realized that coffee trees that had been abandoned and were growing in the shade of other trees had higher productivity than those that were being grown in a traditional way. With the help of Idesam, they realized that the shade caused by fast-growing native species provided an ideal microclimate for quality and more productive coffee.
 

Thus, Café Apuí Agroflorestal was born, a sustainable alternative that increases the income of rural producers, regenerates the forest and also generates other products from the Agroforestry Systems, such as cassava, rice, cocoa, buriti, among others that help to reduce food insecurity producing families. 

In 2018, a new achievement: participatory organic certification obtained in partnership with Rede Maniva de Agroecologia, the only OPAC (participatory conformity assessment body) in the North of Brazil. 
 

“When we form a group that accesses participatory organic certification, farmers begin to access markets, because they begin to organize themselves and realize the power of union. Participatory certification adds to processes, it is much more a means than an end” says specialist Marina Yasbek

 

Since the first implementation of the Agroforestry System (SAF), in 2012, Café Apuí Agroflorestal has grown thanks to the partnership with several institutions in Brazil and the world and, especially, the local partnerships with producers and with Mr. Estevão, responsible for roasting our coffee. With the growth of the project came the next step: the creation of Amazônia Agroflorestal in 2019 to guarantee the purchase of  100% of the coffee produced at a fair price, above market value, the commercialization and prizes for the families that reach good agroforestry, organic and quality results. 
 

Thus, we close a virtuous cycle! From the implementation of SAFs, organic certification and workshops for women and young people in Apuí and region, to the presence of Café Apuí Agroflorestal on tables in Brazil and around the world, with the flavor and energy of the Amazon rainforest.
 

The Agroforestry Amazon has been growing more and more and intends to be an example for other companies operating in the region. For this to happen, we continue working in a network and with the essential support of Idesam, our technical partner for the expansion of the Café Apuí Agroforestry Initiative. Through a model that combines non-repayable investment and private investment, Amazônia Agroflorestal intends to regenerate 300 acres with native species and conilon coffee, preventing the deforestation of more than 13 thousand hectares of forest by 2026 through the Payment for Environmental Services Project.