Kaa´guy porá
An Integrated Community, A Sacred Reserve
The Yevia Project is implemented in the south-southwest sector of the Yabotí Biosphere Reserve (subject to UNESCO's "Man and the Biosphere" program). This area, known as Kaa'guy Porá, covers approximately 19,000 hectares (200 km²) in the Guaraní Department, Municipality of El Soberbio, Misiones province.
Within this territory are the Guarani villages of Pindó Poty, Jejy, Jejy Miní, and Yryapy, and the rural colonies of La Flor, 2 de Abril, and Paraje La Bonita. In total, around 240 families of local inhabitants, including Ukrainians, Creoles, Germans, and Poles, and about 600 people from four Mbya Guarani communities, coexist and interact in this area.
TRIPLE IMPACT PROJECT
The YEVIA project is a nature-based solution that protects and restores ecosystems, addressing social challenges and enhancing both human well-being and biodiversity.
This initiative reflects our mission to develop local communities and conserve the Misiones jungle, through the creation of healthy, natural, and environmentally friendly products.
ECONOMIC IMPACT
At YEVIA, we are dedicated to the production of Stevia, a natural and healthy sweetener. We offer Stevia in its purest form: dried and ground leaves without any chemical additives. This approach ensures that our product retains all its natural benefits.
Part of our income is reinvested to boost the local economy, expanding the cultivation of Stevia mother plants in the Aponapó Reserve and distributing free seedlings to beneficiaries.
We are currently expanding our range of crops with the introduction of pitanga, yerba mate, and soon, ginger. These new ingredients will be incorporated into our yerba mate blends with stevia, which will not only enrich the quality of our products but also drive regional economic development.
SOCIAL IMPACT
YEVIA promotes community development by integrating new families into the project and offering direct access to the market under fair trade principles.
We provide seedlings, training, and essential resources for local residents and indigenous communities of Kaa' guy Porá to autonomously manage their own productive plots.
This approach strengthens the local community, particularly young people and women, improving their quality of life and reducing emigration due to lack of opportunities. Additionally, the project promotes the elimination of agrochemical use and the transition to bio-inputs, fostering the development of skills related to sustainable agricultural practices and agroecology, and promoting biodiversity conservation.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
YEVIA is committed to biodiversity conservation and reforestation using native species. Our Stevia is grown agroecologically and packaged in biodegradable bags and eco-friendly packaging with FSC certification.
From our Aponapó Reserve, we manage a germplasm bank with 54 species of native trees and produce around 10,000 trees annually. These trees are used for reforestation of watersheds and agricultural landscapes, improving connectivity between forest fragments and restoring areas that have been degraded by human activities, such as tobacco cultivation.
The Origin of Yevia
We invite you to discover the origins of Yevia in the following video, which narrates the evolution of a visionary project born in 2015, originated as part of a sustainable agricultural production program implemented by Fundación Huellas para un Futuro.
History of the Yevia Project
2015-2016
PHASE I
Origin of the Yevia Project
Phase I of the YEVIA Project, which took place between November 2015 and November 2016 with funding from the Embassy of New Zealand and technical assistance from INTA, consisted of establishing a cultivation of certified stevia mother plants in the Aponapó Jungle Reserve.
The objective of the project was to reproduce and provide, free of charge, plants of the species to the community, and to implement a sustainable and profitable agricultural practice. This practice would allow to value the role of women in the required nursery tasks, offer a development alternative to young people, thus avoiding their emigration due to lack of opportunities, and begin to eradicate tobacco cultivation by replacing it with stevia. This would allow, in turn, to eliminate the use of agrochemicals and to restore the environment and watercourses through reforestation with native species.
2017-2018
PHASE II
Project Consolidation
Phase II of the YEVIA Project, carried out during 2017 and 2018, received support from the New Zealand Embassy and funds from the Ministry of Social Development of the Nation. During this phase, we sought to strengthen and expand the reproduction of the species in order to quickly and efficiently increase the number of beneficiaries, including both local residents and Guaraní communities.
In addition, the necessary infrastructure was improved, including the installation of a drying facility, two storage sheds, new mother plant crops, irrigation systems, sheds and greenhouses in five schools in the region, three of which are located in Guaraní communities.
2019-2020
During the 2019-2020 period, the YEVIA Project faced significant challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which disrupted the normal pace of our activities and delayed the launch of new initiatives. The uncertainty and difficulties generated by the global situation also caused demotivation among several beneficiaries, who chose to abandon their crops.
Despite the challenges, YEVIA persevered and, by mid-2020, managed to register its trademark with the INPI (number 3,701,272). This milestone was crucial to consolidate the identity of YEVIA and its innovative concept of yerba mate with stevia, reaffirming our distinctive added value and ensuring our continuity and stability in uncertain times.
PHASE III
Commercialization
2021-2022
Phase III of the YEVIA Project, carried out during the period 2021-2022, had financial support from the New Zealand Embassy. During this phase, two specific objectives were achieved thanks to the funds provided:
1) The enclosure of an existing shed was carried out, following the plans that were approved and presented to the Ministry of Public Health of Misiones. This enclosure was essential to comply with the required food safety regulations.
2) A water drilling was carried out that met the necessary sanitary requirements for the handling of food products, in accordance with the provisions of the Argentine Food Code (CAA). This infrastructure was crucial to guarantee the quality and safety of the products.
Thanks to these advances, YEVIA has obtained municipal authorization, the registration of the Aponapó Establishment in the National Registry of Food Establishments (RNE), and the registration of Stevia in the National Registry of Food Products (RNPA), thus guaranteeing compliance with all legal and food safety requirements established by ANMAT and SENASA.
2022-2023
Launch of Yevia
YEVIA launches its products to the market, including two Stevia formats: one for infusion with whole leaves and another for baking with pulverized leaves.
2024
Current situation
Business Plan/ Export
YEVIA launches its star product, yerba mate with stevia. Currently, we are in the process of certifying our organic crops in the Aponapó Reserve to enter the export market.