Dairy farming and ESG: ESGpec's bet to modernize the Brazilian dairy chain.
- Equipe ESGpec
- May 20
- 6 min read
Note from ESGpec
ESGpec warmly thanks Isabela Simões, Júlia Custódio, and I AM for publishing this article in the "Editais com Café" series, originally shared on LinkedIn.
Our connection with I AM began during ESGpec's acceleration process at the Startup Casale Accelerator , a program that marked an important stage in our journey of maturation, positioning, and strategic strengthening.
Since then, we have followed with admiration the work of I AM in valuing startups, entrepreneurs, and initiatives that find in calls for proposals, funding programs, and innovation environments concrete paths to transform good ideas into real impact.
The following article was originally published on Isabela Simões' LinkedIn profile and is republished here on the ESGpec blog as a way to acknowledge this recognition, share our journey, and thank her for the care with which this story was told.
Here, the coffee accompanies the journeys of those who have transformed knowledge into real impact and found in grant opportunities a way to make this construction possible.
🥛 Today's coffee comes with milk, but specifically milk and ESG. Let's learn about Heloise Duarte 's journey with ESGpec, an initiative that connects science, technology, and sustainability in the dairy industry. Article written by Júlia Custódio .
Dairy farming plays a central role in Brazilian agribusiness and is undergoing a transformation. Brazil is among the world's largest milk producers, with over 34 billion liters produced annually and a supply chain present in virtually the entire national territory, involving more than 1 million rural properties.
In recent years, the sector has made progress in productivity, even with a reduction in the number of cows milked, reflecting gains in technology, genetics, and management. At the same time, it faces pressure on prices and margins, which demands greater efficiency and increasingly data-driven decisions.
In this context, sustainability ceases to be merely a reputational agenda and begins to act as a strategic layer, connecting productive efficiency, market access, and risk management in a supply chain increasingly pressured by transparency and environmental responsibility.
"Measuring, knowing, and understanding what can be improved makes all the difference."
It is from this transformation of the sector that Heloise Duarte 's trajectory begins to take shape. A veterinarian graduated from the Federal University of Minas Gerais , with more than three decades of experience in agriculture, her story begins not only in the market, but also in close contact with the countryside. Dairy production has always been present in her family, especially through her beloved uncles Claret and Peta, affective and professional references who helped shape her perspective on the reality of rural producers. From an early age, this proximity allowed her to follow the dynamics of production and develop familiarity with the challenges, decisions, and complexity of the activity.
This experience not only guided her career choice, but also shaped how she views the sector throughout her career: always starting from practice, from the reality of those on the front lines, and from the need to transform knowledge into something applicable.
After completing her postgraduate studies, Heloise entered the job market, starting her career at a technology company focused on agricultural management. There, she began working with management software and providing support to producers, deepening her understanding of the role of data in decision-making in the field.
Over the years, her career evolved into leadership positions and, later, into entrepreneurship. She became a partner in a company focused on training and technical assistance, which further broadened her proximity to producers, technicians, and the reality of applying knowledge in the day-to-day operations of farms.
It was in this context that a recurring gap emerged: the difficulty of transforming technical knowledge into structured management. The absence of organized data and adequate tools limited decision-making capacity, even in environments with a high level of knowledge.
Driven by this need, Heloise founded Ideagri, a management software company that has become one of the leading solutions in the country, serving thousands of farms and a large portion of Brazil's largest milk producers. As CEO, she led a growth cycle that culminated in the sale of the business to an investment fund.
Following this trajectory, and with a consolidated vision of technology, data, and management in agriculture, a new movement began to take shape.
Based on her accumulated experience, Heloise identified a new frontier of transformation in the sector: the ESG agenda. Just as, years before, the field had undergone a process of digitalization, sustainability was beginning to present itself as the next major challenge, still poorly structured, difficult to measure, and far from practical decision-making.
It was from this reading that ESGpec was born. Founded in 2022, ESGpec emerged with the goal of translating the ESG agenda into the reality of rural producers, transforming a concept that is often abstract into applicable, measurable tools connected to the daily routine of the field.
The startup's creation didn't happen in isolation. Heloise assembled a complementary team, connecting different skills: scientific research, technical knowledge of production, technology, and management. Among these connections, the presence of Bruna Figueiredo Silper stands out; she is a rural producer and researcher with a strong background in implementing technology and animal welfare, and she assumed the executive leadership of the company.
"My relationship with Bruna is a great connection. She has a PhD in animal science, with extensive experience in technology implementation and animal welfare."
Also fundamental to this development was the presence of Luiz Gustavo Ribeiro Pereira , a researcher and professor with extensive experience in sustainability, emissions, and dairy production systems. His contribution helped strengthen the scientific foundation of ESGpec and connect the solution to global discussions on measurement, mitigation, and the future of livestock farming.
"With Luiz, ESGpec gains a very important bridge between applied science, sustainability, and productive reality. He brings a deep understanding of emissions, dairy systems, and possible paths for livestock farming to advance with more data, efficiency, and responsibility."
Together, they built a solution that connects farms, industries, and the market through data. The tools developed by ESGpec allow for the measurement of indicators such as greenhouse gas emissions, animal welfare, and management practices, creating a concrete basis for decision-making and reporting.
More than just measuring, the goal has always been to generate transformation. By translating data into practical guidance, ESGpec has been supporting both producers and industries in evolving in efficiency, sustainability, and market positioning.
"What we do is transform what happens on the farms into structured data that can be used for industry reporting."
One of the outcomes of this initiative was the "Regenerative Awakening" project, which expanded access to diagnostic and emissions calculation tools, strengthening the connection between different actors in the supply chain and promoting a more integrated approach to sustainability in the field.
However, ESGpec's evolution was not solely due to the technical development of the solution. As with other innovation journeys, funding opportunities and programs played a structuring role in the business's growth.
Throughout its journey, the startup accessed various initiatives, such as Compete Minas (FAPEMIG - Minas Gerais State Research Support Foundation), Inova Cerrado (SEBRAE), and programs focused on entrepreneurship and innovation. This support contributed both to technological development and to the maturation of the company's business model and strategy.
"Each program had a purpose. Some were for technology, others for the market, others for internationalization. We chose them strategically."
More than just providing financial resources, the grant opportunities served as a structuring environment. They allowed companies to test value propositions, refine communication, revise their market model, and prepare for more complex interactions with clients, partners, and investors.
This process was also crucial for strengthening internal leadership. Participation in acceleration and training programs directly contributed to the team's development, enhancing business maturity and strategic clarity in ESGpec's operations.
Today, the company continues to expand, connecting technology, data, and sustainability in a production chain that is becoming increasingly information-driven.
Heloise Duarte's career trajectory highlights a broader movement: the transition from an agriculture based solely on production to one driven by data, efficiency, and responsibility. And it demonstrates, in practice, how funding opportunities can act as strategic instruments to enable this transformation.
Text originally published by Isabela Simões, in the "Editais com Café" series, with an article written by Júlia Custódio.
