Kochenborger Family

“My life and the life of my family are intertwined with the history of Ecocitrus”, summarizes Maique Kochenborger, president of the entity in the 2019/2021 management. The cooperative was founded when Maique was 13 years old. “I grew up with it”, he concludes. In the Kochenborger family, there are three partners: Maique, Irineu and Darvin, who cultivate in the city of Montenegro – RS.

“We got involved in ordered to be able to leave pesticides behind”, explains Irineu Kochenborger, father of Maique and one for the 15 founding partners of the entity. He recalls that the trust of the founders in the cause was so great that they even mortgaged their lands as collateral for financing.

Irineu got very involved in the creation of Reaviva, composting plant operated by Ecocitrus and founded in 1995. The intention was to generate organic fertilizer for application in the partners’ organic orchards. At the time, one of the difficulties for associated farmers was to find supplies that did not contain chemicals. “I kept working and then Maique grew up and took my place”, he says, signaling that the process was natural.

Maique has held various positions within the organization: truck driver, assisting in the classification of agribusiness fruits, marketer, tractor driver, member of the Fiscal Council, treasurer… In the 2019/2021 management, he became president, a position that offers a comprehensive view of the needs of the cooperative.

In the management of the properties of the Kochenborger family, there is another member that participates, defining himself as a curios partner: Darvin, Mavin’s brother, who joined in 2009, five years after his older brother. Darvin attributes the choice to remain in rural activity to Ecocitrus: “If it weren’t for the cooperative, I wouldn’t see a very promising future in planting citrus”.

It is not infrequent to see Maique and Darvin joking with people around them, making environments – even if serious – a little lighter. When questioned about a word that defines Ecocitrus, they do not hesitate and fire away – each being interviewed separately and without knowing each other’s previous answer: “passion”. If it depends on the Kochenborger family, Ecocitrus is maintained, too, by feelings – and not just by numbers that show that cooperativism and ecological citrus plantation are a viable combination.