Brazilian coffee farms are showing that regeneration can strengthen climate resilience, improve farm economics and create measurable value for the wider coffee industry.
Lessons from tree corridor projects in Minas Gerais
By GrowGrounds | September 2026
From monoculture to living systems
Coffee production in Brazil is already being tested by rising temperatures, irregular rainfall, drought and severe frost. The question is no longer whether farms must adapt, but how the transition can be financed and scaled without leaving farmers to carry the cost alone.
GrowGrounds works with farmers, cooperatives and commercial partners in Brazil to convert vulnerable coffee monocultures into diverse agroforestry systems. In the Cerrado, this includes strategically designed tree corridors, ground cover and a greater diversity of productive and native species. The aim is to rebuild the natural functions on which coffee depends: healthier soils, better water retention, cooler microclimates, stronger biodiversity and more stable production.
But farm design is only one part of the solution. GrowGrounds connects regeneration with long-term climate finance and measurable carbon removal. This enables coffee companies and investors to finance change at origin, while farmers gain technical support, more resilient farms and additional income opportunities from diversified crops and carbon.
Watch GrowGrounds agroforestry work in the Brazilian Cerrado
Recent developments at Expocacer and Cooxupé show that this approach is moving beyond isolated pilots. Regenerative coffee is becoming a practical and investable model for the Brazilian coffee sector
Expocacer turns tree corridors into climate resilience
The Coffee Growers Cooperative of the Cerrado Mineiro Region, Expocacer, is expanding regenerative practices through its Tree Corridors Project. Developed in collaboration with GrowGrounds, Clima Café de Floresta and other partners, the model integrates trees strategically into existing coffee farms rather than treating restoration as separate from production.
The corridors are designed around the conditions of each farm. They can help moderate temperature and wind, protect the soil, increase biodiversity and create a more balanced microclimate around the coffee plants. Each participating farm receives a tailored plan based on its landscape, production system and vulnerabilities.
The pilot began in 2025 at Fazenda Barinas in Araxá, a property with areas historically affected by severe frost. Early observations reported by Expocacer point to a more favourable microclimate, recovery of vulnerable areas and stronger resilience in the coffee fields.
The project also links the agronomic transition to carbon finance. By measuring and converting additional carbon capture into verified value, the model can create a new source of income for participating producers. Expocacer now expects to expand the approach gradually across its membership and build a wider network of regenerative coffee farms.
Cooxupé connects tree planting with farmer income
Cooxupé, the Regional Coffee Growers Cooperative in Guaxupé, has demonstrated another important part of the business case: carbon generated through the integration of trees can create direct financial value for farmers.
Its regenerative coffee pilot involved 12 cooperative members across 43.3 hectares. Tree corridors and other regenerative systems were introduced into the coffee fields, resulting in an expected 650 tonnes of carbon sequestered and more than BRL 104,600 distributed to participating producers.
| 12 farmers | 43.3 hectares | 650 tonnes of carbon |
More than BRL 104,600 was distributed to the participating producers.
According to Cooxupé, this was the first Brazilian project to generate marketable carbon units from the integration of trees into coffee farms. The cooperative, together with GrowGrounds has opened a second phase to additional members which is to involve Gold Standard, one of the world’s leading independent carbon standards.
What these cases tell us
The Expocacer and Cooxupé cases point to three conditions for scaling regenerative coffee. First, farm conversion must be locally designed. Tree species, spacing and management need to reflect the farm’s climate risks, production system and economic priorities.
Second, finance must reach the farm. Regeneration requires investment before all the benefits become visible. Carbon finance can help cover this transition and reward farmers for creating measurable climate value.
Third, outcomes must be documented. Credible monitoring and independent certification turn local farm improvements into evidence that coffee companies, investors and farmers can use with confidence.
From reducing to restoring
Brazil has the knowledge, the cooperative structures and the farming capacity to lead a new era of coffee production. What is needed now is the capital and long-term commitment to move from promising pilots to transformation at landscape scale.
GrowGrounds is working with partners in Brazil to make that transition investable: restoring nature within productive coffee landscapes, generating verified carbon value and building stronger income opportunities for farmers. This is how the coffee sector can move beyond reducing harm and begin restoring the systems on which its future depends.
Contact
| Lars Aaen Thøgersen | Christina Singh |
| CEO | COO – responsible Latin America |
| +45 21 44 17 20 | +45 41 76 07 44 |
| lars@growgrounds.org | christina@growgrounds.org |
Source note Case information and reported results are based on the article “Café regenerativo ganha mais adeptos e novos investimentos”, published by O Tempo on 19 August 2026. GrowGrounds programme descriptions are based on GrowGrounds’ official materials and its Cerrado agroforestry video.
