Projeto Reca

What Projeto Reca does

Projeto RECA (Reflorestamento Econômico Consorciado e Adensado) is a member-owned agricultural cooperative officially founded on February 18, 1989, headquartered in the Nova Califórnia district of Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil. The cooperative is organized as a four-person rotating leadership structure (Presidente, Vice-Presidente, Secretária, Tesoureiro) representing more than 300 farming families across 10 member groups who together cultivate 1,000 hectares of Agroforestry Systems (SAFs) combining over 40 fruit, timber, and medicinal species. Production is centered on certified organic Amazonian raw materials — frozen fruit pulps (açaí, cupuaçu, passion fruit, acerola, pineapple, soursop, guava), vegetable oils and butters for cosmetic use (Brazil nut, copaiba, andiroba, cupuaçu butter), preserved peach palm hearts-of-palm and seeds, and, as of 2025, a value-added branded chocolate bar called CUPULATE 65% de Cupuaçu. Processing capacity exceeds two million kilograms of fruit annually, and 35 properties carry trilateral IBD organic certification (BR/EU/US).

The cooperative operates a wholesale-only go-to-market: orders are submitted via a multilingual website contact form, with pricing handled off-line by the sales department after submission. Products ship nationally throughout Brazil and, via institutional channels such as Biofach 2022 in Nuremberg, are positioned for international organic and cosmetics buyers. The named anchor commercial relationship is with Natura (since 2001), which purchases multiple premium SKUs and has co-invested in forest certification and the 2013 REDD Carbon Neutral Program alongside IDESAM. Revenue is supplemented by small public-sector grants (notably Termo de Fomento awards from Estado de Rondônia-SEAGRI in 2021 and 2022) rather than institutional venture or private equity capital.

Operationally, RECA combines three reinforcing systems: SAF-based polyculture agriculture, an organic composting operation that converts agro-industrial waste into fertilizer for member producers and external sale, and a sustainable forest-management regime for oil-bearing species. The cooperative has accumulated multiple recognitions — the Chico Mendes Award (2002, 2006), the Ford Conservation Award (2007), and the ECLAC CEPAL Award (2007) — and is governed as a CNPJ-registered entity (34.717.637/0001-15) with no parent company or external equity ownership.

Name

Projeto Reca

Legal name

Associação dos Pequenos Agrossilvicultores do Projeto Reca e Cooperativa Agropecuária e Florestal do Projeto RECA

Website

https://projetoreca.com.br

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Projeto RECA is a member-owned Brazilian agricultural cooperative of 300+ Amazonian farming families operating 1,000 hectares of certified organic agroforestry systems, producing fruit pulps, cosmetic oils and butters, and Amazonian specialty ingredients for wholesale buyers, with Natura as anchor cosmetics customer.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Amazonian Agroforestry Products

NAICS

Fruit and Vegetable Preserving and Specialty Food Manufacturing (3114), Chocolate and Confectionery Manufacturing from Cacao Beans (311351), Specialty Canning (311422)

SIC

Canned, Frozen & Preservd Fruit, Veg & Food Specialties (2030), Sugar & Confectionery Products (2060)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee & Cacao Plantations (Coffee, Cocoa) (AFAGACAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fruit Snacks & Dried Fruit (CRADABAJ)

Keywords

• Agroforestry products
• Organic fruit pulp
• Amazonian oils butters
• Heart of palm
• Cooperative agricultural production

Headquarters

HQ city

Nova Califórnia (Distrito)

HQ country

Brazil

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Fruit Pulp Sales: Sale of frozen fruit pulps including açai, cupuaçu, passion fruit, acerola, pineapple, soursop, and guava. Wholesale quantities sold with minimum order quantities of 1kg and 10kg packaging.
2. Oils and Butters Sales: Sale of Amazonian vegetable oils (Brazil nut oil, andiroba oil, copaiba oil) and cupuaçu butter for cosmetic use. Packaged in 18kg containers.
3. Preserved Products and Seeds: Sale of jarred peach palm hearts-of-palm and treated peach palm seeds. Available in 300g and 1.8kg packaging.
4. Cupulate (Amazonian Chocolate): New product line: 65% cupuaçu chocolate bar made from fermented, dried, roasted, and ground cupuaçu seeds. 100% Amazonian artisanal production.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Projeto Reca is a farmer-owned agricultural cooperative of more than 300 families in Nova Califórnia, Rondônia, that produces and sells Amazonian-origin food and cosmetic ingredients. Its commercial portfolio centers on frozen tropical fruit pulps (açaí, cupuaçu, passion fruit, acerola, pineapple, soursop, guava), vegetable oils and butters (Brazil nut, copaíba, andiroba, cupuaçu butter), peach palm heart of palm, and cupulate chocolate, all cultivated through Agroforestry Systems (SAFs). Distribution combines wholesale supply to cosmetics and food manufacturers, national retail shipping of branded SKUs, and on-site sales at the Nova Califórnia settlement.

Product overview

Projeto RECA (Reflorestamento Econômico Consorciado e Adensado) is an agricultural cooperative comprising over 300 farming families that produces and sells Amazonian products through Agroforestry Systems (SAFs). The product portfolio centers on frozen fruit pulps (açai, cupuaçu, passion fruit, acerola, pineapple, soursop, guava), vegetable oils and butters for cosmetic use (Brazil nut oil, copaiba oil, andiroba oil, cupuaçu butter), and preserved peach palm products (heart-of-palm and seeds). A recent addition is the Cupulate 65% de Cupuaçu chocolate bar. Products are available primarily through wholesale ordering, with 35 certified organic properties under BR/EU/US certification. The cooperative operates 1,000 hectares of agroforestry plantations producing over 40 species.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CUPULATE 65% DE CUPUAÇU: Chocolate bar made from cupuaçu seeds, produced through artisanal process of fermentation, drying, roasting and grinding. A 100% Amazonian chocolate product launched in 2025.

Quantifiable outcome

• Year-round harvest guarantee through diversified agroforestry systems
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, technical, historical and supporting.

• PetrobrasmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2006Produzir Project (2006-2008) incentivized SAF implantation, fish farming, beekeeping, and poultry. Fontes Novas Project (2011-2012) for recovery of Permanent Protection Areas of 75 water courses. Built center for product exhibition and commercialization.
• NaturacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2001Brazilian cosmetics company. Supported RECA's Forest Certification with project funding and training courses. As customer, purchases cupuaçu butter, Brazil nut oil, andiroba oil, cumaru almonds, and açai extract. Also provided support for building product exhibition and retail center.
• INPA (Instituto Nacional de Pesquisa da Amazônia)technicalStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational Institute for Amazon Research providing technical partnership for SAF development and research.
• Embrapa-ACtechnicalStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian Agricultural Research Corporation providing agricultural research and technical support for family farming in Acre.
• GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit)technicalStrategic or Co-development PartnerGerman development agency providing technical cooperation support for sustainable development projects.
• MLAL (Movimento Leigo para América Latina)historicalStrategic or Co-development PartnerItalian lay movement for Latin America. Funded project to train monitors for future Agricultural Family School in Nova California for rural youth training.
• IDESAMmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered on REDD Project (Carbon Neutral Program) in 2013 with Natura for forest conservation and carbon offset programs.
• MMA (Ministério do Meio Ambiente)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBrazilian Ministry of the Environment providing policy support and recognition including Chico Mendes Award.
• PESACREtechnicalStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and Extension Group for Agroforestry Systems in Acre providing academic and technical support.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• International Flavors & Fragrances (IFF): Global ingredients supplier to F&B and personal care with health & biosciences and scent divisions; competes for natural tropical-ingredient supply contracts from large multinationals that RECA also targets.
• DSM-Firmenich: Merged Dutch-Swiss ingredients giant combining DSM's nutrition/beauty actives with Firmenich's flavors and fragrances; pursues sustainable tropical sourcing at scale, addressing the same multinational buyers RECA's Natura partnership represents.
• Symrise AG: Global flavors and fragrances house with a 'Diana' natural ingredients division that supplies sustainably sourced Amazonian and tropical botanicals to F&B and cosmetics customers. Overlaps with RECA's B2B ingredients value proposition but at corporate scale.
• Givaudan SA: World's largest flavors and fragrances company with active natural-ingredients and responsible sourcing programs across tropical regions. Adjacent B2B competitor for cosmetic and F&B customers seeking certified Amazonian extracts.
• Croda International: Global specialty ingredients company serving personal care, health, and food with a broad portfolio that includes natural oils and sustainably sourced actives. Competes in the same personal-care ingredient procurement category, though at vastly larger scale and across many geographies.
• Native (Grupo Boticário): Brazilian cosmetics brand under Grupo Boticário built around Amazonian biodiversity ingredients. Although a finished-goods brand rather than an ingredients cooperative, it sources the same cupuaçu, Brazil nut, and açaí inputs and competes for the same sustainability-positioned shelf space.

Direct peers

• Citróleo: Brazilian producer of vegetable oils, butters, and natural actives sourced from Brazilian biodiversity, including andiroba and Copaíba. Direct competitor in the cosmetic-ingredient category with comparable focus on native-species extraction and traceable Amazonian/Atlantic forest supply chains.
• Beraca Ingredientes (Cargill Beauty): Brazilian supplier of Amazonian natural oils, butters, and extracts for the personal care industry; acquired by Cargill in 2020. Direct competitor to RECA on the B2B cosmetic-ingredients side, with overlapping cupuaçu butter, Brazil nut oil, and açaí extract offerings for global beauty brands.
• Sambazon: US-based açaí pulp, juice, and smoothie-bowl producer sourcing from Brazilian Amazonian growers. Competes directly with RECA's açaí pulp line in wholesale and consumer channels and shares the organic-certified, fair-trade Amazonian-origin narrative.
• Frooty: Brazilian açaí-based product company selling frozen pulp, juices, and smoothies in both B2B and retail channels. Directly competes with RECA's açaí pulp line and shares the Amazonian-origin positioning, though focused primarily on the açaí category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCp6ItfgTg84a-Z2f_U0Meyg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/projeto-reca

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Projeto Reca