Institutional

Initially planting coffee, later Italy grapes, in 1973, Mr. Kotaro Okuyama, discovered in his orchard a bunch of grapes with 10 to 12 berries; they were reddish and not very vigorous. Analyses soon showed that these grapes were a somatic mutation. Concomitantly, Mr. Kotaro, along with his wife, Mrs. Fumiko (in memoriam) watched the bunch almost daily, and, after four years of observation, the variety was multiplied. The original branch was left, but advantage was taken of the branching that maintained the same characteristics. The variety was then called “Rubi” and distributed to several winemakers operating in the states of Paraná and São Paulo.

Mr. Kotaro Okuyama, the discoverer of the ruby grape, was credited with the discovery and recognition of a variety that had never been found elsewhere, and the highest esteem was registered in the newspapers and congresses of the time, which discussed news on the new cultivar called “Okuyama Rubi Grape.” Today, this fact remains in history as one of the 100 contributions Japanese immigrants and their descendants have made to Brazil.

In 1974, when the country went through an economic crunch and experienced declining exports and a drop in coffee cultivation because of soil depletion and climate imbalances, José Hiroiti Okuyama, Mr. Kotaro’s eldest son, preserving the tradition passed on by his parents was selected to participate in a pioneering program, which had expanding agricultural land in the country and driving growth in the input and agricultural machinery industries among its objectives. Called the Programa de Assentamento Dirigido do Alto Paranaíba - PADAP (Alto Paranaíba Guided Settlement Program), it was only feasible due to the joint action of the city government through the political leaders of the time in the effort to bring such a grandiose project to the region, together with the today extinct Cooperativa Agrícola de Cotia – Cooperativa Central – CAC-CC (Cotia Agricultural Cooperative – Central Cooperative) in partnership with the state of Minas Gerais and Federal Governments.

For this project, the cooperative (CAC-CC) oversaw selecting highly technical settlers, as well as of providing support in production, marketing, and funding. And José Hiroiti Okuyama was the third settler based in the PADAP region, where he acquired his first piece of property, a 250.9-hectare (ha) lot called PADAP Lot 34. At that time, the property had a totally traditional production of coffee, soybean, and rice and was up against several challenges, among which the lack of adequate technology for planting in the Cerrado (savanna) region, which still lacked a consolidated study of the most appropriate annual crops for the type of soil, aligned with the perennial crops.

In 1983, the first pivot plant was installed in a 60-hectare (ha) area, the initial project of which was to plant wheat and beans. It should be noted that back in those days, in the last years of the military government, Brazil faced several economic issues, inflation was high, and recession was plaguing the country. PADAP region producers found it difficult to settle debts and secure new loans; in this period, a large percentage of the land was unused. José Hiroiti Okuyama was in this context; however, he intended to follow his parents’ steps and give continuity to the family tradition. In that period, his production was practically entirely commodity-based, and did not ensure him an adequate financial return to invest in infrastructure, to acquire machinery, and to expand business. In 1989, using more suitable techniques for planting in the Cerrado (savanna), more varieties of seeds developed especially for warmer climates, and with the release of credit lines for irrigation system deployment, he introduced horticulture planting, in particular carrots, and, later, garlic, potatoes and onions.

More than forty years after project implementation, business has grown and multiplied with the acquisition of other properties, a result of José Hiroiti Okuyama persistence, capacity, and intelligence in aligning his strategies in a set of cultures and activities aimed at business perenniality.

Based on the historical analysis, we arrive at the current business structure, whose name bears the family surname. With cultivation and production areas located in the state of Minas Gerais’ Alto Paranaíba region, in the cities of São Gotardo, Rio Paranaíba, and Campos Altos, we currently have ten production units, covering a total area of approximately 3,200 hectares (ha), producing, processing, and marketing coffee, carrots, garlic, potatoes, onions, corn, soybeans, and wheat.

We aim at efficient production, with recognized quality standards in the markets where we operate, aligned with sustainability and respect for the environment, contributing to the social and economic development of the region where we are inserted, and generating value for all the elements that comprise our business.