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ABOUT
ECOTIERRA

Ecotierra Wave Logo

WHO WE ARE

ECOTIERRA is a unique, holistic, sustainable agroforestry project developer & operator.

Foreword.

ECOTIERRA is the result of over 20 years of work with coffee and cocoa cooperatives. Starting as founders of Pro-A, a non-profit, we helped cooperatives establish themselves, gain certifications, and make their first exports. Later, we launched Distribution Solidaire to market certified cooperative products in Canada. This hands-on experience across the value chain revealed what truly helps cooperatives succeed.

We realized that to improve producers' incomes, it was essential to go beyond certification—focusing on quality, productivity, and reclaiming degraded land. Many producers lacked access to financing, quality inputs, technical support, and carbon finance, but had great potential for agroforestry systems to diversify income.

In 2011, we founded ECOTIERRA to scale these solutions, addressing climate change and land degradation—issues that directly impact farmers, who are key players in making these solutions work.

- Étienne & Karina

Picture of Karina Santa COO and Co-Founder of Ecotierra in front of a Peruvian Landascape

Karina Santana
COO and Co-Founder

Picture of Étienne Desmarais in front of a coffee drying bed. He is the CEO and CO-Founder of Ecotierra.

Étienne Desmarais
CEO and Co-Founder

Our
Mission
.

Work with small-scale producers to use land responsibly to accelerate the sustainable development of their communities, thereby combating climate change and land degradation.

Our
Vision
.

Co-create and integrate multiple partnerships that enable producers to control their economic, social and environmental development through the strengthening of agricultural and forestry value chains.

Our
Values
.

Empowerment
Social justice
Integrity
Achieving Result

Coffee flower

Our Team.

ECOTIERRA’s team is composed of passionate individuals who share a common goal: 
creating and operating climate change mitigation projects in the land-use sector, empowering communities through sustainable production and climate-smart agriculture.

Have a look at the available positions here. We have offices in Canada, Colombia and Peru. 

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