Under pressure from a series of crops affected by adverse weather conditions, Brazil’s coffee sector is increasing projects focused on regenerative agriculture with low greenhouse gas emissions.
JDE Peet’s, a leading global coffee company, has announced a partnership with fertilizer manufacturer Yara to produce low-CO2 Connellon coffee in Espiritu Santo and Bahia.
JDE, which owns popular brands in Brazil, such as Pilão, will support the purchase of low-emission fertilizers from Yara, which will provide inputs and technical assistance to producers participating in the project. Ofi, a global supplier giant, will also participate in the initiative through training and technical support to farmers.
Through these low-emission fertilizers, companies expect to reduce the carbon footprint of green coffee by about 40%, compared to systems that use traditional fertilizers.
In total, 20 farms will participate in the project initially. The initial commitment is valid for the next two crops. The idea is to support producers who are unable to afford this type of management, which involves more expensive inputs.
“Today, production with zero-carbon fertilizers has not yet reached the entire market, as there is an additional cost of changing the energy matrix. That is why we sought partnerships,” says Paulo Ivan, Director of Food Solutions at Yara Brasil.
Cooxupé (Regional Cooperative of Coffee Growers of Guaxupé), the world’s largest coffee cooperative, has also purchased a range of low-emission fertilizers from the Norwegian company.
The search for solutions able to contribute to reducing emissions was evident during the International Coffee Week, the largest event in this sector in Latin America, which took place from 5 to 7 November in Belo Horizonte.
NetZero, a green technology company that manufactures biochar – an input capable of removing carbon from the atmosphere in the long term – participated in the event and said that demand from coffee farmers for the product is growing at an accelerated pace.
The coffee sector has been under pressure to adopt regenerative practices following a series of crops affected by extreme weather events, which are expected to become more frequent as the planet warms.
Furthermore, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30) being held in Brazil just one week after the biggest event in the coffee sector has increased demand for sustainable solutions.
In addition to the environmental issue, the sector tried to demonstrate its commitment to socially responsible coffee farming during the event held in Belo Horizonte.
Nescafe has built a village where coffee farmers from different regions can showcase and serve their coffee to the public.
The 3corações group, the sector leader in Brazil, highlighted its Tribos line beans, grown by indigenous people in the Sete de Setembro indigenous region, in Rondônia.
Meanwhile, in Europe, a Brazilian-owned coffee shop was voted best in Portugal at the European Coffee Journey Awards 2025. How About Coffee is located in the parish of Arroios and is a project of married couple Tiago and Maíra Silva. The Brazilians opened the establishment shortly before the outbreak of the pandemic, in 2019. European Coffee Journeys is a magazine specializing in coffee shop guides, with recommendation lists in 230 cities across the continent.
The journalist traveled at the invitation of World Coffee Week.
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