Posts in category: News

Photo: Manioca/Disclosure

In November this year, Manioca, a company in the AMAZ portfolio, and Ajinomoto do Brasil, a reference in the production of amino acids and owner of important brands such as SAZÓN®, MID® and VONO®, announced a partnership focused on increasing production and Development of new products.

The investment is the first made by the company outside Japan and was made through Ajinolab, Ajinomoto's open innovation hub, which, with the aim of diversifying its portfolio, sought foodtechs who are innovating based on biodiversity, generating positive social and environmental impacts.

The president of Ajinomoto do Brasil, Shigeo Nakamura, highlights that the investment was determined by the company's commitment to expanding its line of healthy products, seeking to meet growing market demands. “Manioca’s mission, aligned with the appreciation of Amazonian biodiversity, based on eating well and doing good, resonates with Ajinomoto’s values and principles”, says the CEO.

The co-founders of Manioca, Joanna Martins and Paulo Reis, hope that the case will inspire other large companies to approach the region, considering it not only as a place of incredible raw materials, but with an interest in the brands that already operate in the Amazon, opening up space and recognizing the value of entrepreneurs in the region.

Founded in 2014, Manioca aims to popularize the flavors of Amazonian cuisine. It began its journey with family investment, and years later, after being accelerated by AMAZ, it received two rounds of investment from the accelerator. Some time later, the company also received funding from the Amazon Biodiversity Fund (ABF).

“AMAZ connected us with ABF, and this step was very important because it prepared us for the financial issue, growth projection, long-term vision. Generally, the larger the resource, the greater the investor's demands”, says Joanna.

For AMAZ, Manioca's first investor, the approach with Ajinomoto is a good sign for the Amazon impact ecosystem.

“We are very happy to see a large company, like Ajinomoto, investing and believing in a local business like Manioca. This is what we have been working towards in recent years, and this is a very strong sign of how much the Amazon impact business ecosystem has been growing and taking on relevance. It is important for the region that this type of movement happens, after all, it is businesses like Manioca that will help build a new economy for the Amazon”, analyzes Mariano Cenamo, CEO of AMAZ and director of new businesses at Idesam.

Photo: Deivyson Fernandes/Flickr

The Coalition for Impact announced those selected by Collaborative Impulse Call, which promotes learning and knowledge exchange between organizations that operate in different Coalition cities: Belém, Brasília, Campinas, Fortaleza, Paranaguá and Porto Alegre.

The intention is to inspire collaborations and social innovations that expand the potential of initiatives. In total, five projects were selected, based on the following selection criteria, in addition to alignment with the Coalition for Impact's agenda: relevance of collaboration, focus on expanding local references and efficient use of available resources.

AMAZ, together with the Amazon Entrepreneurship Center, Planet Coworking and the Challenge Experience Program, are part of the “Caatinga Bioeconomy” proposal, whose objective is to boost and structure the impact business ecosystem in the region and promote the restoration of the biome.

The Amazon will be used as an inspiring example in this construction focused on the bioeconomy, through the experiences of the Amazon Entrepreneurship Center and AMAZ, as a benchmark of good practices that will contribute to accelerating the development of the ecosystem and fostering collaboration, with a local network of cooperation in favor of the Caatinga bioeconomy.

The activities will be developed in the first half of 2023, and include rounds of lectures, workshops with facilitators and a hackathon.

Photo: Rodrigo Duarte/AMAZ

The last selection stage of the AMAZ Call 2023 takes place on 12/14, when the finalist businesses participate in a pitch day or business rounds to present your companies to investors and partners in the impact ecosystem.

The businesses, which participated in the pre-acceleration in October, have the support of the AMAZ team to prepare their presentations. The connections will be virtual, and both the pitch day Business rounds are moments of learning and construction – as feedback from panel members prepares entrepreneurs for future fundraising rounds – and also opportunities to attract investment and interest.

During the pre-acceleration, entrepreneurs had the opportunity to present their pitches collectively, receiving important feedback from each other, and also from the AMAZ team. The instrument received input from Model C, which was the subject of work during the group's in-person meeting, and is now undergoing refinements and adjustments for presentation to investors and partners.

“The presentation of pitches It’s a moment that entrepreneurs have been preparing for since pre-acceleration. As it is a dynamic instrument, the presentations have certainly changed since then, especially with the construction of Model C. The expectation is to see the maturation of the business vision and the impact reflected in the pitch”, analyzes Rafael Moreira Ribeiro, who coordinates the selection and acceleration processes at AMAZ/Idesam.

Photo: Manawara Disclosure

After opening a point of sale in São Paulo, Manawara closed the sale of seven franchises: three units in the city of São Paulo, two in Rio de Janeiro, one in Belo Horizonte and another in Manaus, at Shopping Manauara.

Furthermore, the company is in the final stages of negotiating four other franchised units.

According to Mercio Sena, CEO of the company, since it was opened in São Paulo, in May this year, its own point of sale, which also works as a show room, increased its sales by 10%.

Today, 22 product options are offered, including fruit candies of different flavors, nuts and cookies. Foods such as açaí, guaraná, taperebá and cupuaçu are present in jujubes and other vegan products, free of gluten and lactose. A new flavor is under development and will soon be offered to customers: a candy made from a blend of bananas 

In its production chain, the company seeks to value producers from the Amazon region. The guarana used comes from Maués, the nut comes from Assoab (Association of Farmers of Beruri), which operates in Resex Mamirauá. The flour in the cookies comes from Iranduba, the honey from Boa Vista do Ramos, the coconut flour from producers in Acre.

Manawara ends 2023 with at least 10 franchises sold, and plans to reach 15 in 2024.

Photo: Rodrigo Duarte/AMAZ

In October, representatives of the nine finalist businesses in the AMAZ 2023 Call met in Manaus to begin the pre-acceleration process, the final stage of the selection process that will define which businesses will be accelerated, receive investment and become part of the AMAZ portfolio. accelerator in 2024.

Entrepreneurs were immersed for three days of intense work, in a face-to-face meeting held in Manaus, in which the group worked, individually and collectively, on Model C, including Theory of Change, impact matrix and business model.

These were days in which the trust established among the group allowed everyone to advance in the individual design of their businesses, but also contributed to the advancement of others. The exchange and connections established revolve around shared learning and challenges about entrepreneurship in the Amazon.

“The pre-acceleration workshop aims to be the first face-to-face meeting with the finalist businesses and those potentially selected for investment and acceleration in the next journey. It is a time when we are able to connect the diagnosis of gaps and support demands with the acceleration plan, together with the investment that will be made by AMAZ”, defines Gabriela Sousa, responsible for business acceleration and institutional management at AMAZ/Idesam .

The meeting participants praised the work methodology proposed over the three days, as well as the exchanges and connections, feeling part of a network that shares similar challenges.

“The pre-acceleration workshop helps us deepen the understanding and analysis that we have carried out since the Call, on each of the finalists, and support them with any demands they have, mainly related to impact modeling and design. The result was the creation of Model C for businesses that did not yet know the tool, and improvement for those that had already used it. Furthermore, there was an important exchange of knowledge and the creation of a relationship network between the workshop participants, and some operational partnership projects could emerge from this meeting”, analyzes Rafael Moreira Ribeiro, responsible for business selection at AMAZ/ Idesam. 

The businesses participating in the pre-acceleration process are: Amaz Amazon Super Plants, Apoena, ATLAS Florestal, BioAmazon, Coordenada Rural, FarFarm, Flor da Samaúma, MOMA and Zeno Nativo. They were selected from among 112 registrants in the AMAZ 2023 Call. 

The nine finalist businesses work with innovative solutions for the development of products and services in strategic value chains for the conservation of the Amazon, such as reforestation and agroforestry production, agriculture, livestock and sustainable rural production, socio-biodiversity products and cosmetics. 

They are located in the states of Pará, Amazonas, Amapá, Maranhão, São Paulo and Santa Mônica, California (USA). Call 2023 made it possible to register businesses whose operations take place in the Legal Amazon, but which could also be based in other regions of the country. 

The pre-acceleration continues over the course of a month, virtually, with access to advice, mentoring and technical support from the AMAZ team and Idesam (Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon). 

The objective is to help entrepreneurs understand and maximize their business growth capacity in financial, technical, operational terms and, especially, positive socio-environmental impact.

The last stage of the process is participation in a pitch day, which will be promoted by AMAZ at the end of November, and shortly afterwards the businesses selected for acceleration and investment in 2024 will be announced.

Photo: Vivalá/disclosure

After a detailed audit process carried out by Sistema B, Vivalá received a final score of 97.7 points, which represents the highest score in the certification of the tourism sector in the country and the seventh highest in the world, placing the company at the forefront of tourism sustainable in Brazil.

Furthermore, the GOL group, through its operator Smiles Viagens, began distributing Vivalá expeditions on its official channels. The partnership is part of the group's ESG strategy, seeking to encourage sustainable tourism in Conservation Units and with traditional communities, generating a positive socio-environmental impact for travelers, communities and the planet. The company was also invited to participate in the launch of the airline's sustainability actions, called #MeuVooCompensa.

Calendar of expeditions to the Amazon in 2024

The calendar of expeditions promoted by Vivalá to the Amazon in 2024 is now available! Rio Negro, Rio Tapajós and Aldeia Shanenawa will be offered as destinations.

For shipment Amazon Rio Negro, Vivalá created an immersive experience on the banks of the Rio Negro, which includes getting to know the local riverside community and supporting the community.

The expedition Amazon River Tapajós It departs from Alter do Chão, in Pará, departing by boat and visiting the paradisiacal beaches, until docking in the Tapajós National Forest and discovering the Amazon forest alongside the riverside communities.

The third destination offered is in Acre, in the Shanenawa Village, departing from the capital, Rio Branco, towards an immersion in the culture of the ancestral people, with an exclusive itinerary that includes spirituality, culture and the fight for the rights of the Shanenawa.

In addition to the Amazon, Vivalá offers expeditions to several other destinations. The company has already promoted 215 expeditions with the participation of more than 3 thousand travelers from 21 countries, injecting R$ 3.5 million into local economies in 16 preserved areas of the country.

To access the expedition calendar, access the Vivalá website.

Photo: Divulgação Assobio

At the end of August, 25 businesses operating in the Amazon met in Belém (PA) and founded Assobio (Associação de Negócios da Sociobioeconomia da Amazônia).

With the intention of acting as a network, seeking to strengthen cooperation and representation between businesses linked to socio-biodiversity in the region, the association brings together businesses from different sectors, including food, beverages, cosmetics, fashion and services that have the common purpose of promoting development sustainable development in the Amazon, encourage entrepreneurship and enhance coordination between actors.

AMAZ was present, as an observer, at the meeting that approved the statute of Assobio, which has many businesses on its staff that have gone through days promoted by the accelerator and also by the Floresta+ Aceleraçao Program, promoted by the UNDP and the MMA, whose implementing partners Idesam, AMAZ and Sense-Lab. And also businesses that are now part of the accelerator’s portfolio.

Assobio informs that it has support from the Certi Foundation, GIZ, Clua and CESUPA.

“Generating innovative and sustainable businesses in the Amazon is, in addition to an opportunity for the region, a new way for Brazil to value its riches and generate development from them, acting locally and thinking globally. We often try to copy foreign models and the businesses that associate here show innovations based on our biome and our identity, a timely and necessary path when we have the privilege and responsibility of being born with an Amazon at home”, highlights Paulo Reis , president of the association.

Around four months after launching an innovative product – powdered nut milk –, Mahta continues to develop products, promoting improvements in packaging and offering practicality and sustainability options.

In August, the business launched a new packaging size for its first market product, Superfoods Amazônicos em Pó, offering 840g (economy) and 360g options. Powdered chestnut milk was already available in 240g and 600h packaging.

Furthermore, Mahta changed the packaging material, which is now made from sugarcane-based bioplastic, with direct printing, carrying the I'm Green seal – which provides a lower carbon footprint and ease of recycling.

And another new addition is coming: a super coffee with Amazonian and natural ingredients – Café Apuí Agroflorestal, guaraná from Maués and Marapuama.

Chestnut milk has good public acceptance

The chestnut milk powder was launched during Naturaltech, the largest natural products fair in Latin America, in June this year, at which time Mahta also announced the arrival of a new partner: Chef Thiago Castanho from Pará.

“The acceptance of milk by the public has been very good. The product's differentiator, in addition to innovation, is that it replaces animal milk, having great appeal to vegans and, at the same time, contributing to the climate issue, both by conserving areas and by not emitting methane from the production of animal milk. In addition to being the first plant-based nut milk powder in the world, it is 100% regenerative, because the nuts come from the extraction of small producers in the Amazon”, says Max Petrucci, founding partner of Mahta.

Max highlights the reduction in carbon footprint and several other advantage points: “You carry a 240-gram package instead of 5 liters, which is the amount of nut milk that the economical package produces. In addition to the transportation issue, there are five fewer tetrapacks per package. And the possibility of preparing as much milk as the person wants, in different dilutions. The price per liter of milk in the signature economical packaging (600g) is around 30% cheaper than similar liquids purchased at the supermarket.”

Since the product was launched on the market, sales of nut milk powder have been growing by around 30% per month. And Mahta projects the company to grow by 600% between January 2023 and January 2024.

Photo: ACAE/Disclosure

Know to communicate. This is the motto of the expedition that Academia Amazônia Ensina (ACAE) is promoting on October 1st to 6th, aimed at members of Aberje (Brazilian Business Communication Association), and which is sponsored by the German multinational Basf and Itaú Unibanco, in addition to support from Bayer and LATAM Airlines.

ACAE has prepared an exclusive itinerary for professionals who work with communication and sustainability in companies. The journey "From Traditional Knowledge to Contemporary Science: training Communicators for Sustainability” provides contact with people, spaces and dynamics that cover topics such as research and development, bioeconomy, community-based entrepreneurship and sustainable production chains, for example. Participants will also attend lectures, technical visits, take cultural tours and discover guided trails, both by land and water.

Maria Eugênia Rocha Tezza, executive director of ACAE, highlights that one of the great differences of the expeditions promoted by the Academy is that the experience is guided by people who live in the Amazon, such as community leaders, representatives of Brazilian teaching and research institutions and communicators locations.

“When we talk about the Amazon, we talk mainly about the people, the people of the forest. We have an immensity of green forest forming incalculable biodiversity, but people are the highlight of this specific journey, which focuses on the power of communication to promote sustainable practices and encourage conservation and protection of nature. Let's talk to the researcher born and raised in Manaus, with very in-depth and specific knowledge about a certain area of nature, and with the riverside, tourism and community-based entrepreneur, for example. They are rich people and stories, and breathtaking experiences”, says Maria Eugênia.

ACAE carries out five expeditions in 2023

This year, Academia Amazônia Ensina promoted two expeditions open to the public, in January and July. In the latter, it was supported by Emissora Globo in Paraná, which is preparing a special article on connections between the Amazon and the Atlantic Forest. In May, a third expedition was promoted, this time involving two theater troupes, one Brazilian and the other from Denmark.

In August, ACAE carried out the Latimpacto expedition, aimed at an international audience who were in Brazil participating in the  Impact Minds 2023 Conference: Stand Together 2023, looking at business challenges and opportunities related to the bioeconomy. And it is now heading towards the fifth expedition of the year together with Aberje, involving the areas of sustainability, business and corporate communication and corporate social management.

“We are very happy with the path ACAE has taken. We realize the importance of being in these different environments so that dialogue can happen, but also so that concrete things can happen. I feel that the Academy is playing its role, as always proposed, which is to prepare people for the economic, social and ecological challenges of the 21st century. And we are very excited about this opening, especially with the B2B and corporate public, to understand the Amazon in this contextualized way”, highlights Maria Eugênia.

And ACAE is also now open for registration for the January 2024 expedition, open to the public, having already filled 50% of the vacancies offered.

Photo: Rodrigo Duarte

Group meets in October, in Manaus, to immerse activities aimed at developing a business plan and socio-environmental impact thesis 

From October 16th to 20th, entrepreneurs from 9 businesses selected by the impact accelerator AMAZ to participate in the pre-acceleration process will be together in Manaus, on an immersion journey to develop their business plans and socio-environmental impact thesis in the Amazon.  

The businesses that will participate in the pre-acceleration process are: Amaz amazon Super Plants, Apoena, ATLAS Florestal, BioAmazon, Coordenada Rural, FarFarm, Flor da Samaúma, MOMA and Zeno Nativo. They were selected from among 112 registrants in the AMAZ 2023 Call. 

The pre-acceleration begins with the in-person meeting and continues over the course of a month, virtually, with access to advice, mentoring and technical support from the AMAZ team and Idesam (Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon). 

The objective is to help entrepreneurs understand and maximize their business growth capacity in financial, technical, operational terms and, especially, positive socio-environmental impact. 

The performance of the businesses during this period will define those that will be accelerated and receive investment in 2024, becoming part of the AMAZ portfolio. 

“Pre-acceleration is the final stage of the selection process, but it is also where we begin to understand business needs to chart the acceleration journey for those who are selected. All 9 who made it this far will receive our support for a month in the pre-acceleration phase, which qualifies them to seek new support or join other acceleration processes, as well as in the design of their impact theses,” defines Rafael Moreira Ribeiro, responsible for business selection at AMAZ/Idesam. 

The 9 finalist businesses work with innovative solutions for the development of products and services in strategic value chains for the conservation of the Amazon, such as reforestation and agroforestry production, agriculture, livestock and sustainable rural production, socio-biodiversity products and cosmetics. 

They are located in the states of Pará, Amazonas, Amapá, Maranhão, São Paulo and Santa Mônica, California (USA). Call 2023 made it possible to register businesses whose operations take place in the Legal Amazon, but which could also be based in other regions of the country. 

The AMAZ selection focused on early stage businesses that have already validated their product or service in the market and preferably are already earning more than R$ 500 thousand per year. Most businesses are in the traction and organization phase. Some projects in earlier stages were selected for presenting innovative solutions with the potential to gain scale post-acceleration. 

The projects selected for acceleration and investment in 2024 will be announced in December. 

Discover the businesses selected for pre-acceleration: 

AMAZ Amazon Super Plants = Works with the creation of drinks made with sustainable ingredients that contribute to the regeneration of the planet and people's well-being. The startup was built around Regenerative Agroforestry and supporting biodiversity in the Amazon Rainforest, using ingredients such as yerba mate, Suma Root, mushrooms from the Yanomami Forest and Muirapuama bark and guaraná. It is headquartered in Santa Monica, California (USA).  

Apoena = Seeks to improve the working conditions of babassu breakers, increase the economic and marketing potential of Coco Babaçu and the generation of income for the people involved. Location of activity: state of MA. 

BioAmazon = Technology-based company focused on developing new bio-inputs for agribusiness. It provides its customers with a Bioprocess as a Service (BPaaS) platform. It seeks to provide rural farmers with practicality and safety in the production of microorganisms through their own production of bio-inputs. Location of operation: state of AM. 

Samaúma Flower = It operates in bioeconomy and ecotourism and seeks to expand the production capacity of açaí, cupuaçu and taperebá wines on the farm where a winery for these products is located. Location of activity: state of AP. 

Native Zeno= Production of fine native cocoa beans and high quality Brazil nuts. The project seeks to expand the production and sale of cocoa beans and nuts. Location of activity: state of PA. 

ATLAS Forestry = Productive forest restoration company. Plans, models, implements and monitors productive forests, with a multidisciplinary technical council capable of developing regenerative and personalized actions. It operates across the entire forest restoration and agroforestry chain. It is headquartered in the state of SP. 

Rural Coordinate = It consists of the proposal of socio-productive assistance to family farmers who have cocoa cultivation in an Agroforestry System and dual-purpose cattle farming as their main sources of income, in order to enable the execution of actions aimed at improving the quality of life with an increase in productivity and income generation for rural producers. Location of activity: state of PA. 

FarFarm = Consultancy that helps companies enhance their production chains as protagonists of brands, through relationships with communities in the Amazon. Location of operation: states of PA and MT. 

MOMA = Natural cosmetics made with Amazonian oil inputs and 100% compostable packaging, which seek to strengthen their value chains through fair trade and supplier training. It is headquartered in SP. Locations of operation: states of PA, AM, AC and AP. 

About AMAZ  

THE AMAZ impact accelerator is coordinated by Idesam (Institute for Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Amazon), and has a hybrid financing fund (blended finance) of R$ 25 million for investment in impact businesses over the next five years, the first aimed exclusively at the region. Its founders and strategic partners are Fundo Vale, Instituto humanize, ICS (Instituto Clima e Sociedade), Good Energies Foundation, Fundo JBS pela Amazônia and PPA (Plataforma Parceiros pela Amazônia). It also has a wide network of partners such as Move.Social, Sense-Lab, ICE, Climate Ventures, SBSA Advogados, Mercado Livre, Costa Brasil and private investors.