Posted in: 07/17/2023
On its way through São Paulo to participate in the Naturaltech Fair , Associação Agroextrativismo Sementes da Floresta (AASFLOR) had the opportunity to gain even more visibility and expand its possibilities with the artisanal production of items from a non-aggressive extraction of the forest and that respects the practice of standing forest.
In addition to promoting and marketing its products at one of the sales stands at the 17th edition of the Naturaltech Fair , and participating in the Bio Brazil Fair | Biofach América Latina – in which José Santiago da Silva , founder of AASFLOR, participated in the conversation on Bioeconomy in the Amazon: Inputs from the Forest and Sustainable Development , the Association also closed important partnerships, which guaranteed new sales points for its productions.
But the visit also yielded other enriching moments and experiences for Santiago and Élida Silva Moraes , associate producer of AASFLOR. In the company of Mario Braga , specialist in socio-territorial studies at Synergia, and Adriana Barros , manager of institutional relations at Synergia, the AASFLOR representatives visited Soneda Perfumaria and participated in the program Conectao Sustentabilidade, on Rádio Vibe Mundial FM 95.7 . Check out!
In one of the most memorable moments of their visit to São Paulo, Santiago and Élida, representatives of the Sementes da Floresta Agroextractivist Association visited the Soneda Perfumaria store on Avenida Paulista , in the central region of São Paulo. The team was welcomed by Soneda CEO Minoru Kamachi .
Together with Grupo Laces and support from Sebrae , Soneda Perfumaria launched, in April this year, an innovative initiative: the Clean Beauty Acceleration Hub . In addition to having brands that develop “products free of parabens, sulfates, silicones and other ingredients that could harm the body”, the initiative invests in accelerating small and medium-sized companies aimed at the conscious consumption of cosmetics . For this, it considers production with less fossil derivatives, greater use of renewable raw materials and respect for ESG practices.
The Acceleration Hub aims to accompany these small and medium-sized companies, mentoring and helping brands to gain visibility and establish themselves in retail , including selling their products at the Soneda store. The experience has a participation deadline for each brand – which, if well accepted by consumers, can also have their products sold in other stores in the chain. One of the conditions for these brands to participate in the acceleration program is that “ 80% of their products are made from natural materials ”.
The visit to the store and knowledge about the Acceleration Hub, which presents a program proposal aligned with the production method carried out by ASSFLOR , enabled Élida and Santiago to confirm the importance of the Association’s work and the possibilities for the future. That is, he reaffirmed that the work of AASFLOR – which only offers items of natural origin , coming from a non-aggressive extraction and which is based on the sustainable processing of non-timber forest products – can not only be profitable , but also follows a search trend of consumers for more sustainable and natural products .
For Adriana Barros, manager of institutional relations at Synergia, the visit creates the possibility for the Association to envision a possible future for the sale of its products and understand the importance of partnerships : “The visit to the store enabled the representatives to understand the possibilities that the business can reach and understand that there is a path for the development of their products, so that they reach an even greater degree of excellence and the necessary requirements for the expansion of the business. Soneda brought the possibility of being in conversation with a large store and seeing people buying natural products. It is also a prospect for them to see that they can get there.”, she comments.
Another important moment of AASFLOR’s visit to São Paulo was the participation in the Connection Sustainability Program , on Rádio Vibe Mundial FM 95.7 .
Check out the full program
In the program – presented by Sérgio Rebollo – Élida, Santiago and Mario Braga, specialist in socio-territorial studies at Synergia, talked about participating in Naturaltech 2023 , about the work of ASSFLOR , product development and the concept of “ exploitation with the forest in foot ”, about development projects and solutions in the Middle Xingu .
As part of one of its work fronts in the Middle Xingu, Synergia Socioambiental supported the arrival of AASFLOR in São Paulo and its participation in Naturaltech, in addition to the visit to Soneda and participation in the program.
The consultancy was also responsible for redesigning the product labels and packaging – by hiring a Brand Strategic Consultancy company, which revised and standardized the materials – and for modernizing the Association’s commercial model , collaborating for the dissemination and connection with retailers from other states.
For Lilian Veltman , executive director of Strategy and Innovation at Synergia, the consultancy’s support reinforces the objective of stimulating initiatives in the Amazon territory aimed at development based on sustainability and conservationof the environment: “The Middle Xingu is a strategic region for Brazil and for the world, due to the forests under pressure that survive in this territory. Initiatives such as ASSFLOR represent efforts by local communities to generate income, not only avoiding deforestation and ecosystem destruction, but also facilitating the expansion of native forests. Synergia has every interest in supporting and replicating projects like this, offering training and basic resources for the growth of bioeconomy businesses, because it believes that this is the only way to direct the economic interests involved in the Amazon to carry out sustainable activities and conservationists,” he comments.
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