On May 13, 1888, the law that put an end to slavery in Brazil was signed. More than a century later, in 2000, on that same day on the calendar, the Agricultural Work, Technical Assistance and Services Cooperative (Cooates) was born in Barreiros, in the State of Pernambuco. “The date, therefore, is quite historic for us”, says José Cláudio da Silva, president of Cooates.

The founding of the cooperative marks a new beginning for the community. The region had sugar cane monoculture as its main economic activity, until the activity became unsustainable and the Barreiros Central Plant, one of the largest in southern Pernambuco, went bankrupt shortly before the turn of the century.

“And then, with the absence of the plant, we decided to found a work cooperative”, says Silva. In this context, Cooates was created with the aim of addressing the lack of opportunities in the region, especially after the decline in sugar and alcohol activity.

This time, however, the task of reinvigorating the local economy is being put into practice with different ideas: sustainable development.

Sustainable production

Currently, Cooates’ main activity is the sustainable production of honey and propolis under the Vale do Una brand. In total, the cooperative processes 6 tons of honey per year, with the possibility of doubling this production capacity. Product portfolio diversification is underway:

“We are starting a production process of both red and green propolis”, reveals José Cláudio da Silva to Cooperação Ambiental. The variety of products is due to the variety in production.

The cooperative has apiaries distributed in mangrove areas, restinga, estuary and Atlantic Forest regions, and rescues bees in urban areas.

To process the production of its members, Cooates has a property of 8 thousand hectares with two industries. One of them is dedicated to the production of honey and propolis and the other to the manufacture of biocosmetics, a new branch of activity for the cooperative. Additionally, an area dedicated to fish farming is being developed.

Community and environment

Sustainability is a core value for Cooates. “We have all of our production focused on sustainable development from a perspective of generating opportunities and new businesses that can arise from these actions in the environment”, says the president.

Sustainable management is also reflected in the quality of Cooates products. “We work with good field production and management practices. We have the S.I.F, which is the federal inspection seal. We operate with this perspective of protecting species, multiplying species, environmental preservation and, above all, respecting the environment”, he adds.

Finally, the cooperative also works with the production of 85 different species of fruit plant seedlings native to the region, as well as offering technical assistance, project development, rural extension and consultancy for local producers.

Through its activities, the cooperative generates income for the community while developing initiatives to support environmental preservation. Currently, the cooperative’s operations have a direct impact on 70 people, including members and employees, in addition to all indirect impacts for the good of the local community.