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Griffith Foods and PepsiCo launch collaborative model to scale regenerative agriculture
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Saturday, 08 November, 2025, 14 : 00 PM [IST]
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Brazil
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Global food-ingredients company Griffith Foods has teamed up with PepsiCo (and partner Milhão) to introduce a new financing and technical support initiative in Brazil’s Cerrado region designed to accelerate the shift to regenerative agriculture.
The pilot project, known as “OURO”, targets roughly 7,000 acres (about 2,800 hectares) of corn and soybean farms in the Cerrado—a biodiverse savanna that accounts for close to 60% of Brazil’s soybean and large volumes of corn production. Under the programme, farmers will be supported to adopt regenerative practices such as cover cropping, composting, and using biological inputs instead of relying solely on synthetic fertilizers.
A key feature of the model is its “Payment for Practices” and “Payment for Outcomes” structure. Farmers receive upfront payments to help cover the transition costs of new practices, and additional incentives when measurable environmental improvements—like reduced agro-chemical use or enhanced soil health—are achieved. The initiative is co-funded by Griffith Foods and PepsiCo, with total investment expected to reach around US$1 million over three years, while scaling the footprint to 30,000 acres by year three.
The collaboration aligns with Griffith Foods’ “2030 Aspirations” strategy, which includes a goal to bring one million acres (about 404,000 hectares) under regenerative agriculture by the end of the decade across Central and South America. For PepsiCo, the effort supports its wider sustainability agenda through its climate-resilience platform, helping to build resilient supply chains and mitigate climate risks for high-impact sourcing regions.
Nicholas Costa, regional sustainability director for Central & South America at Griffith Foods, said the pilot reflects the company’s move “beyond ‘do no harm’ thinking” toward a regenerative mindset that restores ecosystems and strengthens communities. Meanwhile, Thais Souza, global procurement manager – ESG at PepsiCo Brazil, noted the financial incentives address one of the largest barriers farmers face when transitioning to new practices.
As the sector looks for scalable models to change traditional agriculture systems, the Griffith-PepsiCo partnership presents a template for industry-wide transformation one that links ecology, economics and supply-chain resilience in a key agricultural frontier.
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