Sourcing — Agroforestry

Photo Credit: Rogério Assis/ISA

Pequi oil, or Hwĩn Mbê in the indigenous language, is produced by the Kĩsêdjê, who live in the Wawi Indigenous Land, in the Xingu Indigenous Territory (TIX). Pequi is an important component of the culture of the Kĩsêdjê, is used both for food and for the reforestation of degraded areas in the region. A native domesticated tree, pequi has existed in Kĩsêdjê gardens for centuries. Its fruit has a value that transcends the cuisine and is present in the myths, rituals, and festivities of the Kĩsêdjê people. Hwĩn Mbê is produced using a traditional process- entirely cold pressed - resulting in a unique product that preserves the flavor, color, fragrance, and properties of the fruit. 

Photo credit: Moreno Saraiva/ISA
Yanomami Mushrooms are the first edible mushrooms native to the Amazon Forest to be introduced into the international market and are extremely popular with the top chefs of Brazil. Launched in 2016, they are the product of the ecological knowledge of the Yanomami people and the traditional Yanomami farming system. Hunters and gatherers, the Sanöma have a great knowledge about the biodiversity of their territory. The mix of mushrooms that comes to the consumer is the result of a deep knowledge of the ecology and the management of the forest, sometimes a source of protein, particularly when hunting is not very successful. It is this knowledge that feeds and keeps the forest standing.

Launched in May 2015, Agroforestry Café Apuí (Apuí Agroforestry Coffee) is a project led by IDESAM (Institute of Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon) in the municipality of Apui, located in the extreme south of the Amazon. In almost three years since its launch, the product is already distributed throughout Brazil, including the "Boxes" at the Pinheiros Market in São Paulo, operated by Alex Atala's Instituto ATÁ. Café Apuí serves a consumer base increasingly concerned about sourcing and production methods. "In addition to the environmental benefits and the differentiated taste, the production free of agrochemicals also makes Café Apuí...