History

While attending a trade fair dealing with the environment and nature, it was the stand of the university "Universidade Federal de Lavras" (UFLA), which specialises in natural, geo- and agricultural science, that caught our attention. At this fair, professors and students presented a study about the ecological and economic processing of the candeia tree (eremanthus erythropappus), which can be found in "Mata Atlantica" in certain regions of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.

After that, in 2006, studies commenced in cooperation with the UFLA as well as the Ministry IBAMA (Brazilian Institute of Environment and Renewable Natural Resources) and the Regional Authority IEF (State Institute of Forests) to develop ecological and economic actions for extracting candeia oil. Apart from sustainability and development of existing flora, special importance was attached to the protection of the fauna.

Following two years of study and development work, the production of candeia oil was started at "Fazenda Arroio Grande" in Caete (Minas Gerais), which has a total forest plantation of 211 ha (520 acres), on which the studies mentioned had been conducted. From this point on, ATLANTICA has evolved to become one of the largest producers of valuable candeia oil, adhering to all official and very high voluntary standards.

In spring of 2011, ATLANTICA started building its own plants for the steam extraction of ALPA-BISABOLOL, which is obtained from candeia oil. Following almost 12 months of planning, developing and building, ATLANTICA now has one of the technologically most advanced and environmentally friendly production plants for natural ALPHA-BISABOLOL. Owing to state-of-the-art technological innovations implemented in our plant we can guarantee extremely high quality standards for our product. The plant is equipped with ultra-modern control and analysis systems, which ensures that the plant and the production processes are monitored constantly.

Principles & Values

The loss of biodiversity caused by climate change and by handling natural resources inconsiderately increases constantly. ATLANTICA is aware of this problem and tackles it by enforcing very high standards voluntarily. This includes:

Observance of natural growth cycles
- Reforesting the tree population taken down
- Foresting new land proportional to the candeia oil extracted
- Careful removal of the raw material from tree-covered areas
- Social responsibility towards employees and their families
- Support of public action to maintain flora and fauna
- Efficient use of raw materials through intelligent production processes
- Energy efficiency through technological innovations.

The UFLA (www.UFLA.br) has defined these standards in a master plan, the adherence of which is monitored by the State Forestry Institute "Instituto Estadual de Florestas de Minas Gerais" (IEF) of the State Secretariat for the Environment and Sustainable Development (SEMAD).

Structure

Owing to ultra-modern technological innovations applied in the construction of the extraction plant, ATLANTICA owns the most modern and most efficient plant for producing natural ALPHA-BISABOLOL.

A large team of experts is responsible for ensuring that the production and extraction processes run smoothly. The production process is monitored very closely and subjected to constant quality controls in a specially established ultra-modern laboratory.

The company has its own wooded area with a large stock of candeia trees.
In addition, ATLANTICA enters into partnerships with land owners of small to medium sized fazendas, who cultivate and protect unused forest areas in accordance with given provisions. In this context, the owners are introduced to the studies of UFLA and IBAMA and they must act correspondingly. With this partnership, the land owners receive financial support from the very beginning, which provides income for many families.