History
the company's timeline in Paraguay
1995 - Cattle Breeding
Our history in Paraguay begins in 1995 when German brothers Carsten and Michael Pfau started purchasing farmland and breeding Paraguayan cattle. After a successful 7 years they founded the Agri Terra Group with the aim to invite investors, initially from Germany, Switzerland and Austria, to invest in cattle breeding in Paraguay with them.
The company was very well received by investors and between 2012 and 2016 they more than doubled the previous year's turnover each year.
Following the re-regulation of the financial markets in Germany, which meant the supply of cattle investments fell under the regulation of the supervisory authorities, the offering was discontinued for retail investors in Europe. However, Agri Terra still maintains cattle herds in Paraguay and since 2014 has been one of the largest cattle owners in Paraguay. The possibility of investing in Paraguayan cattle is still possible among institutional and qualified investors (or retail investors from outside Europe).
It's worth noting that since its inception in 2012 until today, all of Agri Terra Group's investors have made a profit with their cattle investment and not a single loss had to be reported.
2015 - Orange Plantations
In 2015, after intensive studies and discussions with experts, the company purchased its first land area for the cultivation of oranges in La Colmena (about 120 km from Paraguay's capital Asunción). By parcelling up the land, Agri Terra also made it possible for external investors to participate in their orange plantation.
This investment offer in the growing of oranges quickly became a bestseller on the German market, but it also rapidly attracted investors from the rest of Europe, the USA, Canada, Asia, South Africa and Central America. In fact, the opportunity proved so popular that the La Colmena orange plantation sold out in 2019.
By this time though the company had already acquired the land for their second plantation in Nueva Italia (about 55 km from Asunción) which is also being used for the cultivation of other citrus fruits (such as limes, tangerines and mandarines).
While most of this plantation has been sold as well, there are still lots available to retail, qualified and institutional investors (contact us to enquire about availability).
Between 2015 and 2020 more than 250,000 trees were planted and the Agri Terra group of companies currently manages and operates the 3rd largest orange cultivation area in Paraguay. During this period, the company also committed itself to a move into the fully regulated segment in order to serve the European retail investor segment.
In 2019 the initial investors received their first ROI payments from their orange trees, and to date all returns have been at or above the projected levels.
2019 - Greenhouses
To meet the growing demand for fresh quality vegetables and in order to make best use of open spaces on the Nueva Italia orange plantation, the construction and operation of greenhouses for the cultivation of peppers and tomatoes was started in 2019. In subtropical Paraguay, it is beneficial for certain fruit and vegetable varieties to grow in a cooler, climate-controlled environment. This ensures the highest quality produce and maximum productivity are achieved.
Supported in particular by significant commitment from investors from the USA, Canada and Asia, a plant with 48 high-tech greenhouses, each with 2,500 m2 of planting space, is being built and operated. This makes the Agri Terra Group the largest producer of red and yellow peppers and one of the largest producers of tomatoes in the country. Other fruit and vegetable varieties complete the portfolio.
For 2021, Agri Terra is also working on a significant investment in hydroponic greenhouses for the cultivation of strawberries which would make the Group the largest strawberry producer in the country and the region.
2020 - Organic Supermarkets
Since 2020 Agri Terra also operates organic gourmet supermarkets in Asunción with home delivery service. Under the brand name "Granja Direct", the mission is to bring freshly harvested fruit to the table without detours. The company works with the most dedicated producers (especially with many small farmers), but also relies, of course, on its own production. In addition to fresh fruit and vegetables, the supermarkets offer "healthy fast food" options such as "mix your own muesli" or "mix your own salad", and there are also smoothie and juice bars inside.
Industrial Orange Juice Production
The Agri Terra Group announced its intention to build a large factory in Paraguay for the production of orange juice concentrate, orange oil and fresh orange juice.