The Rosewood Project cultivates the wild tree in its original biome.
Rosewood Project
Rosewood Project is located in Itacoatiara, third most populous city in the state of Amazonas, Kaapi’s essential oil distillery is in a 360-ha farm, with more than 300 ha of forest reserve.
In the property, Kaapi has been running the Rosewood Project since 2012, which cultivates the wild tree in its original biome.
Sérgio Souza and Eduardo Mattoso decided to take action and face the challenge of contributing to improve the status of the plant, which was endangered.
The project, which also aims at bringing back to the market the natural product, has already been through all stages of governmental-body evaluations and is now able to get the CITES certificate, in order to export its products.
The Rosewood Project allows the propagation of a threatened species, promotes nature preservation and generates wealth in the Amazon region.
R osewood was very successful in the 90s and, due to its indiscriminate exploitation, was included on the threatened species list, consequently being substituted by a synthetic element in the fragrance industry.
In Itacoatiara, the rosewood essential oil is extracted from the leaves, which helps the continuity of the species. Besides the rosewood, priprioca and citronella are also cultivated on the farm. Learn more about Kaapi’s ingredients products.
Social Development
Both the planting of native aromatic plants and the building of the distillery are part of a larger project, which provides for the set up of an aromatic plants and essential oils production center by family farming of nearby communities.
The company wishes to contribute with alternatives for income generation to the local culture, and thus, reduce the pressure for deforesting the native forest.
The goal is to design a business model which can be replicated in the small communities, so the people who have a single economic activity, such as fishing or manioc growth, can develop or diversify their production, generating income from different sources.
Alternative for income generation to the local culture and pressure reduction on native forest deforestation.
The idea of Rosewood Project is to devise a structure in which the people who are willing to participate get guidance on how to plant the rosewood in their properties. In addition to developing an essential oil sustainable production, the growth of the rosewood by local communities promotes nature preservation and generates wealth in the Amazon region.
