ECOTIERRA
ECOTIERRA is a Sherbrooke-based sustainable agroforestry project developer that finances and operates VCS-certified carbon projects and certified coffee, cocoa, and honey value chains with smallholder cooperatives across Canada, Peru, Colombia, and Honduras.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2011
- HeadquartersSherbrooke, Canada
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What ECOTIERRA does
ECOTIERRA is a privately-held sustainable agroforestry project developer founded in 2011 in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada by Étienne Desmarais (CEO) and Karina Santana (COO). The company develops, finances, and operates VCS-certified carbon projects and certified agricultural value chains (coffee, cocoa, honey, forestry) through direct partnerships with smallholder cooperatives across Canada, Peru, Colombia, and Honduras. Its operational portfolio includes six project brands — Café Selva Norte and Prodicom (Peru), RioSierra (Colombia), Pivot Forestry (Quebec), Kuska (Peru), and Aroma Café y Miel (Honduras) — reaching 13,300 participants across 40,000 reforested hectares and 850,000 conserved hectares, with 7.3 million tCO2eq sequestered and avoided and CA$248 million in new diversified producer revenues generated cumulatively.
The company's core technology centers on VCS-certified carbon project development following methodologies VM0006 (REDD+) and AR ACM 0003 (afforestation/reforestation), supported by a GIS and geomatics stack that integrates satellite imagery and artificial intelligence for forest biomass inventories and project monitoring. Underlying technical artifacts include standard operating procedures, project development documents, and monitoring/verification databases. The business operates three revenue streams: (1) verified carbon credit (VCU) sales priced at CA$35 per credit via a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront and enterprise direct sales; (2) transaction-fee sales of certified agricultural products (Fairtrade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance) through cooperative supply chains and ElevaFinca, the buyer-facing facilitator sub-brand; and (3) managed services via Ecotierra Capital, which manages the URAPI Sustainable Land Use Fund.
ECOTIERRA goes to market through a hybrid B2B/B2C motion: enterprise sales are handled via direct outreach (e.g., [email protected] for bulk credit purchases) while individual consumers purchase single credits through the company website. Strategic partnerships anchor the commercial and operational model, including Keurig Dr Pepper Canada (enterprise offtake), Conservation International Peru, IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative), Filaction, Restoration Seed Capital Facility, Université Laval, Socodevi, and dozens of on-the-ground cooperative counterparts (COCLA, Red Ecolsierra, Asociación Pataz, Forêt Hereford).
ECOTIERRA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- ECOTIERRA
- Legal name
- Société de gestion de projets Ecotierra
- Website
- https://ecotierra.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2011
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- ECOTIERRA is a Sherbrooke-based sustainable agroforestry project developer that finances and operates VCS-certified carbon projects and certified coffee, cocoa, and honey value chains with smallholder cooperatives across Canada, Peru, Colombia, and Honduras.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
ECOTIERRA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sustainable Agroforestry & Carbon Credit Development
- NAICS
- Support Activities for Forestry (11531), Support Activities for Forestry (115310), Timber Tract Operations (11311), Environmental Consulting Services (541620)
- SIC
- Forestry (800)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Carbon Forestry Project Development & Origination (Afforestation/Reforestation/IFM) (IMAMAJAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD), Afforestation, Reforestation & Revegetation (ARR) (EUABABAA), Forest Carbon Projects & Ecosystem Services (Carbon Credits, Biodiversity) (IMAMAAAJ), Timberland Carbon & Natural Capital Project Development (Offsets/REDD+) (AFAMAKAH)
Keywords
Where ECOTIERRA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sherbrooke
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices4 records
Markets served
ECOTIERRA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Carbon Credit Sales: Sale of verified carbon credits (VCUs) generated from reforestation, forest conservation, and agroforestry projects. Credits are sold at CA$35 per unit to businesses and individuals seeking to offset emissions.
- Agricultural Product Sales: Sale of sustainably produced coffee, cocoa, and honey from partner cooperatives with added value through Fairtrade, Organic, Rainforest Alliance certifications
- URAPI Fund Management: Management of the URAPI Sustainable Land Use Fund which finances forestry and agroforestry projects, building organizations and value chains
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Single Carbon Credit |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Bulk Carbon Credits |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
ECOTIERRA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ECOTIERRA develops and operates VCS-certified carbon projects (REDD+, ARR, grouped afforestation) across Latin America and Canada, selling verified carbon credits at CA$35 per unit to businesses and individuals. The company concurrently builds and manages sustainable coffee, cocoa, honey, and forestry value chains with smallholder cooperatives, while running the URAPI Sustainable Land Use Fund (via Ecotierra Capital) to finance forestry and agroforestry projects on degraded lands.
Product overview
ECOTIERRA operates as a holistic sustainable agroforestry project developer and operator, offering carbon credits and managing multiple project brands across Latin America and Canada. The portfolio includes Café Selva Norte (Peru coffee and carbon), RioSierra (Colombia coffee/cocoa/honey), Pivot Forestry (Canada), Kuska (Peru), Aroma Café y Miel (Honduras), and Prodicom (Peru forestry). The ElevaFinca sub-brand provides buyer facilitation services, while the URAPI Sustainable Land Use Fund enables project financing. Carbon credits are available for direct purchase at CA$35.00 per credit.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- ElevaFinca: Brand acting as a facilitator at origin for buyers, providing tailored solutions to meet product inventory and environmental and social impact objectives.
- Ecotierra Capital
- URAPI
Products and services
- Carbon Credits
- ElevaFinca Origin-Facilitation Services
- URAPI Sustainable Land Use Fund
- Ecotierra Capital Investment Management
Quantifiable outcome
- 7.3M tCO2eq emissions sequestered and avoided
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use ECOTIERRA
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
ECOTIERRA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
ECOTIERRA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- SocodevicoreCanadian NGO providing support to the Honduras Aroma Café y Miel Project since 2022
- Keurig Dr Pepper CanadacorePartner contributing to ECOTIERRA's mission of sustainable land use and climate solutions
- Conservation International PerucoreConservation organization supporting sustainable land use initiatives in Peru
- IDH (The Sustainable Trade Initiative)coreInternational organization working on sustainable trade and supply chain transformation
- URAPI Sustainable Land Use FundcoreFund managed by Ecotierra Capital that finances forestry and agroforestry projects on degraded lands
- ElevaFincacoreBrand acting as facilitator at origin for buyers, providing tailored solutions for product inventory and environmental/social impact objectives
- Université LavalcoreScientific partner in the Pivot Forestry Project, providing research and academic expertise
- Forêt HerefordcoreFounding partner of Pivot Forestry Project - first VCS-certified land use project in Québec
- Red EcolsierracoreCooperative partner in RioSierra Project, implementing sustainable coffee, cocoa, and honey production
- Asociación PatazcoreLocal partner supporting PRODICOM forestry project implementation and community engagement
- COCLAcoreCentral of Cooperatives (22 cooperatives, 1,034+ farmers) partner in Kuska Project for sustainable coffee, cocoa, and honey value chains
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
ECOTIERRA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- South Pole Group: Global carbon project developer and advisory that develops, finances, and sells voluntary carbon credits (including nature-based REDD+, ARR, and agroforestry) to corporates — overlapping directly with ECOTIERRA's VCS-certified project development and B2B credit sales model.
- Pachama: Technology-enabled marketplace and project developer for nature-based carbon credits (forestry, agroforestry, ARR), connecting corporate buyers with verified projects — comparable in product (forest carbon credits), buyer base (corporate ESG/sustainability teams), and use of MRV technology.
- Finite Carbon: US-based forest carbon project developer that aggregates small landowners into VCS/ACR-certified Improved Forest Management and ARR projects — closely comparable to ECOTIERRA's grouped smallholder forest carbon model (e.g., Pivot Forestry, PRODICOM).
- TerraCarbon: Specialist in forest carbon project development, MRV, and advisory across VCS/ACR methodologies including REDD+ and ARR — directly comparable to ECOTIERRA's project development and GIS/satellite-based monitoring stack.
Broad incumbents
- Indigo Ag: Larger US-based agricultural carbon and sustainability platform generating agricultural carbon credits and traceability for crops — overlaps with ECOTIERRA's agroforestry/smallholder carbon origination and verified supply chains, but at much greater scale and capital.
- Verra: Operator of the VCS Program and registry under which ECOTIERRA's VM0006 and AR ACM 0003 credits are issued — sets the certification framework ECOTIERRA depends on, making it a critical incumbent ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.
- Climate Action Reserve: North American carbon offset registry and standards body issuing credits across forest, agriculture, and land-use methodologies — comparable in forest/land-use methodology development role, but at the registry/standards level rather than as a direct project developer like ECOTIERRA.
Emerging players
- Boomitra: Emerging carbon project developer focused on agriculture and soil/sequestration credits using remote sensing — comparable to ECOTIERRA's agroforestry and smallholder farmer model, though more weighted to soil carbon than forestry.
- NatureBank (Floresta Real): Brazilian-based nature-based carbon project developer working with smallholders on ARR, REDD+, and sustainable agriculture — a regional emerging player in the same smallholder-agroforestry project origination space, mostly non-overlapping geographically with ECOTIERRA's Peru/Colombia/Honduras/Canada footprint.
Others
- Sylvera: Independent carbon credit ratings and analytics provider that grades the quality of voluntary carbon projects — an enabler/adjacent to ECOTIERRA's VCS-certified supply, influencing credit pricing and buyer demand rather than directly competing in project origination.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
ECOTIERRA social profiles
Digital presenceECOTIERRA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
ECOTIERRA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
ECOTIERRA subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
ECOTIERRA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
ECOTIERRA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about ECOTIERRA
What does ECOTIERRA do?
ECOTIERRA develops and operates VCS-certified carbon projects (REDD+, ARR, grouped afforestation) across Latin America and Canada, selling verified carbon credits at CA$35 per unit to businesses and individuals. The company concurrently builds and manages sustainable coffee, cocoa, honey, and forestry value chains with smallholder cooperatives, while running the URAPI Sustainable Land Use Fund (via Ecotierra Capital) to finance forestry and agroforestry projects on degraded lands.
Is ECOTIERRA a public or private company?
ECOTIERRA is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was ECOTIERRA founded?
ECOTIERRA was founded in 2011. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is ECOTIERRA based?
ECOTIERRA is headquartered in Sherbrooke, Canada, in the North America region.
How does ECOTIERRA make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Carbon Credit Sales are the primary driver. The others are agricultural Product Sales and URAPI Fund Management.
Who are ECOTIERRA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are South Pole Group, Pachama, Finite Carbon and TerraCarbon. Broad incumbents are Indigo Ag, Verra and Climate Action Reserve. Emerging players are Boomitra and NatureBank (Floresta Real). Sylvera is listed as an others.
Does ECOTIERRA have an API?
No public API is recorded for ECOTIERRA.
What industry is ECOTIERRA in?
ECOTIERRA's product category is Sustainable Agroforestry & Carbon Credit Development. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAMAJAD, Carbon Forestry Project Development & Origination (Afforestation/Reforestation/IFM), with a secondary code of EUABABAD, Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems. Its NAICS code is 11531 and its SIC code is 800.