Structured systems and empowered employees: The long-term value of regenerative farming for Fazenda Paraiso

Fazenda Paraiso – part of the Coocacer group – is a coffee farm located in Patrocinio, Minas Gerais, Brazil. Here, owner and director Evanete Peres Domingues talks about the multiple benefits of adopting Regenagri, and the encouraging growth in demand for regeneratively-grown coffee.

Regenerative agriculture brings many benefits that go far beyond short-term financial returns.

There is a small market premium, but the greatest gains come from improving the farm itself. By maintaining permanent soil cover, we are building future soil fertility, keeping the soil cooler, improving biodiversity, and creating healthier ecosystems. These are benefits that are not always easy to measure financially, but they are extremely valuable in the long term.

Regenerative agriculture creates a culture of continuous improvement.  

You begin to see the land and nature differently, and every decision is made with long-term stewardship in mind. This has improved how our employees engage with their work. When people understand the purpose behind the practices, they feel empowered and take greater pride in their work. Regenerative has become an important part of our farm culture.

Adopting Regenagri didn’t require us to completely change the way we farm.

Instead, it gave us a structured way to document and verify what we were already doing. That has been one of the greatest benefits. Regenagri enabled us to record our environmental management, demonstrate our practices, and organise our information within a recognised certification system.

Regenerative agriculture requires a complete change in mindset.

Years ago, farmers believed that a field with no vegetation between the rows was a sign of good management. Today we understand the opposite. When you fly a drone over the farm, you want to see green cover across the landscape.

Breaking this old paradigm was one of our biggest challenges. It required learning, experimentation and confidence. Once we understood the system and saw the results, it became a source of great satisfaction.

One of the biggest technical challenges was establishing a diverse mix of cover crops.

At first, we had to learn how to manage cover crops: identifying the best combination of species, understanding flowering cycles, and adapting machinery to manage vegetation around the coffee rows.

Today, when we offer a Regenagri-certified coffee lot for sale, there is strong competition among exporters.

More buyers are actively seeking coffee produced under regenerative systems, and we expect demand to continue.

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