Tello is born, a fertilizer company owned by Amaggi, Coopercitrus and three other partners

The organomineral fertilizers company resulting from the partnership between Amaggi, Coopercitrus, Tecnobeef, Souza and Lucas Participações and Viola Participações already has a name. It is called Tello, a tribute to the Roman goddess of the earth Tellus, and inaugurates a new category in the input industry, biointelligent fertilizers..

The partnership between the five groups was announced to the market in January this year. At the time, little was known. In addition to the partners, the construction of a factory was announced, with capacity for 200 thousand tons per year of organomineral fertilizersmore sustainable than traditional chemical fertilizers.

Three months after the announcement, Tello begins to gain face and shape. The land for the first unit is already being prepared in Altair (SP). R$120 million will be invested to build the unit, which will have an initial capacity of 200 thousand tons per yearbut with the structure to double production according to demand.

The partners’ expectation is that the unit will start operating in 18 months and will have the capacity to meet customer demand from the second half of 2025. In its first year of operation, the factory is expected to generate revenue of R$500 million in 2026.

With production underway, the partners are now looking for a CEO to lead Tello and form the company’s executive team. The board of directors will be composed of a representative from each partner and will have a rotating presidency, with 12-month cycles.

The first president chosen was Carlos Pellicer, partner at Viola Participações. In an interview with IM Businesshe said that the company’s focus is on the soil and how to enable the longevity of agricultural production.

“In 88% of our trials we recorded an increase in soil productivity in the areas that used our products. In practical terms, in soybean areas there was an increase of 3 to 5 bags per hectare and, in perennial crops, there was an increase of 7% to 10% in yield”, said Pellicer.

According to the executive, the main difference between his biointelligent fertilizer and its competitors is in the formulation and production technology. The company will place the product on the market in bran and granular form, with 50% of the compound being organic matter and 50% traditional NPK.with added macro and micronutrients.

For now, Tello is using synergies between its partners to operate. The company has been selling its products since April and manufactured in an outsourced unit. However, each of them will make a strategic contribution to the new company.

Amaggi and Coopercitrus will be the arms of access to the market and customers. Tecnobeef e Souza and Lucas Participações will supply Tello with strategic organic raw materials, while Viola will help with innovation and product development.

Tello’s bold plans, which already include a second factory in Mato Grosso, will encounter strong competitors. Last month, the American company Mosaic launched its Biosciences division in Brazil, whose initial focus is on the area of ​​bionutrition (inoculants, biostimulants and biofertilizers), with the goal of earning US$100 million in 2030.

In February, the Israeli ICL paid US$30 million for Nitro 1000 from Paraná. The company specializes in the manufacture of inoculants, products with microorganisms that promote plant growth, and has the capacity to manufacture 4.5 million liters per year .

Ambipar has already invested R$40 million in the last ten years to build its factory park. The company uses waste from the pulp industry to produce organic fertilizers. In 2023, production grew by 25%, to 500 thousand tons.

In December last year, giant Yara announced an investment of R$90 million in its foliar fertilizer unit located in Sumaré (SP), which focuses on regenerative agriculture. “Sustainability is no longer enough. We want to start returning to nature what we have extracted from it over time”, said Marcelo Altieri, CEO of Yara Brasil at the time.

In November, Brazilian company Agrion opened its first organomineral fertilizer factory in Tupaciguara (MG). With an investment of R$30 million, the unit operates in partnership with Usina Aroeira, from which it receives organic inputs, waste from the industrial process (filter cake, vinasse and energy).