Daterra was founded in the 1980s when the phrase “sustainable” was not even close to being as popular now. The Daterra Coffee initiative, on the other hand, is designed to produce speciality coffee while also promoting environmental and social development. Through alliances and collaborations, Daterra must assure consistency and create customer trust.
They began growing organic coffee on their Franca (Mogiana region) facility, previously used to make grade A milk. This coffees business allowed Luis Pascoal, one of Daterra’s founders, to meet Dr Ernesto Illy, who pushed him to look for land in Cerrado Mineiro.
They discovered that the Cerrado Mineiro’s Patrocnio region was perfect for blue bottle coffee growing. It has the ideal climate for coffee plants to generate their characteristic flavour and scent. They also discovered that the desert-like environment was beneficial, as it allowed them to modify quality during harvest.
They relocated to Cerrado and purchased the farms of Boa Vista and Tabuoes.
They must recreate the Cerrado habitat, including wildlife, plants, soil, and water resources, on the farm and in the surrounding area. To do this, they collaborated with ESALQ (Sao Paulo State University – Luiz de Queiroz) to create the first Daterra environmental standard, PEA – Program for Environmental Adequacy.
Daterra spent ten years restoring the region to meet high-quality coffee cultivation and export standards. Because of their extensive experience, they became the first coffee farm in Brazil to be recognized and ISO 14001 certified by the Rainforest Alliance. Following that, they received additional UTZ Kapeh and IBD Organic certifications. To promote the complete production chain, they chose to only sell coffee to certified sustainability importers to reinforce the ideas of sustainability. To promote social growth and coffee security, they share information with smaller growers to learn how to continue producing high-quality coffee while remaining environmentally sensitive.
That is why “Coffee Grows Relationships” is their tagline and attitude because Daterra’s relationship with the land, water, staff, community, and everything else in their environment is just as meaningful as their relationship with quality and global clients.
The journey wasn’t easy or quick, but it was powerful enough to keep them on track. It takes 20 years of commitment and perseverance to realize the Triple Bottom Line philosophy of “People, Planet, and Profit.” Daterra is currently proud of its accomplishments, debated and put into action by its dedicated team.
Daterra is committed to continuing research and development, science and technology, and the preservation and development of Cerrado Bioma, the world’s second-hottest terrain in situ.