Our Story, Mission and Values

Entire families moved from the states of Santa Catarina, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Espírito Santo toward Rondônia. The federal government was encouraging settlement of the state, and these pioneers answered the call. They arrived amid the forest, clearing trails, walking miles on foot, carrying the hope of a better life in their hearts. Those were years of great sacrifice: clearing land, building the first wooden houses, facing tropical diseases, coping with distance and a lack of infrastructure. But these families had something no one could take away: the determination of those who came to stay.

Over time, hard work began to bear fruit. With innovation, technology and resources that gradually became available — bank financing, personal savings, buying and selling — small holdings turned into productive properties. Cattle arrived. Crops grew. What was forest became pasture, and pasture became livelihood. Each property was built up with sweat and a vision for the future. Rondônia’s rural producers learned firsthand that unity is strength — and that alone you go faster, but together you go farther.

A group of producers made a first attempt to create a cooperative in the region. The dream already existed, but conditions weren’t yet ripe. The attempt didn’t succeed, but the seed had been planted.

On June 30, 2022, in a historic meeting with more than 40 producers, the founding charter of COOAAFRO-RO was drawn up. Forty-odd producers sat at the same table and decided it was time to join forces. From that assembly, 36 producers — all descended from the pioneer families who had arrived decades earlier — signed the charter and officially founded the Agribusiness Cooperative of Alta Floresta D’Oeste and the State of Rondônia. The goal was clear: gain better pricing power buying inputs and supplements, and pool production volume for negotiating strength — both buying and selling cattle, corn, coffee and fish-farming products.

Today COOAAFRO-RO has 36 active members, who together hold roughly 40 to 50 thousand head of cattle. The cooperative maintains an office that centralizes purchasing and sales management, offering administrative, accounting and technical support. Each member, however, keeps the freedom to buy from and sell to other suppliers — the cooperative adds, it doesn’t subtract.