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INSTITUTIONAL, OPERATOR-LED
NATURAL CAPITAL INVESTING

Founded in 2016, The Land Group is an independent asset manager and operator focused on farmland as an institutional natural capital asset class

We acquire, operate, and regenerate underperforming agricultural land on behalf of institutional, family-office, and specialist-fund investors.

Today, we operate pasture, cropland, and agroforestry systems across approximately 20,000 hectares in Uruguay, producing grass-fed beef, crops, and forestry products, with expansion underway in Portugal, Spain, Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina.

Since inception, we have restructured farmland investments across approximately 140,000 hectares in South America, recovering over US$300 million for investors and
demonstrating execution capability at an institutional scale.

Our value creation model is grounded in disciplined, on-the-ground execution rather than financial engineering. By restoring soil biology, improving land productivity, and increasing system resilience, we convert underperforming farmland into operations with more stable cash flows and compounding long term asset value.

We manage assets across full biological and investment cycles, from acquisition and regeneration through operation, reporting, and exit, supported by institutional governance and disciplined risk management.

INSTITUTIONAL REGENERATIVE
FARMLAND MANAGEMENT AT SCALE

We restore farmland’s biological function using proven regenerative practices while maintaining commercial scale and cost discipline.

We operate an integrated farmland management platform focused on livestock-led systems across pasture, cropland and agroforestry systems, for institutional ownership.

For investors, this model drives both income and asset value: higher biological productivity and lower input dependency stabilise cash flows, while healthier land systems improve resilience, downside protection, and long-term land value.

Our approach is repeatable, capital-disciplined, and designed to scale across geographies and asset types without sacrificing execution quality.

OUR OPERATING MODEL: PRECISION GRAZING

Precision Grazing, the foundation of our operator-led model, is a proprietary, low-tech, repeatable livestock management system that we deploy at an institutional scale across natural pasture, mixed crop-pasture, and agroforestry systems.

It combines simple, modular infrastructure with disciplined field execution to deliver high-frequency, controlled grazing on small paddocks, continuously adjusting stocking intensity and recovery periods to pasture, soil, animal, and weather conditions.

By restoring biological cycles between soil, plants, and animals, Precision Grazing increases carrying capacity, reduces reliance on external inputs, and supports the production of fully traceable, premium grass-fed beef at an internationally competitive cost.

For investors, this results in higher revenues, lower operating costs, reduced cash flow volatility, stronger downside protection, and sustained long-term capital appreciation.

OUR CAPITAL & LAND PARTNERS

We partner with a focused group of long-term capital providers and landowners seeking disciplined, operator-led institutional exposure to farmland managed as natural capital, who are increasingly motivated by jurisdictional resilience, food security, and strategic access to healthy food systems.

LONG-TERM PRIVATE CAPITAL

Family offices and UHNWIs seeking capital preservation, inflation protection, and long-term compounding through productive real assets.

INSTITUTIONAL INVESTORS

Pension funds, insurance companies, endowments, foundations, and sovereign wealth funds seeking long-dated, diversified, resilient returns through institutionally-managed real asset exposure.

SPECIALIST PLATFORMS

Specialist real asset, natural capital, or farmland-focused fund managers seeking a partner-operator with proven execution capability, governance, and scalable on-the-ground teams.

LEGACY ASSET HOLDERS

Landowners seeking to improve the productivity, resilience, and value of existing farmland through rigorous, professional management.

Sustainable Farming Practices

Implementing eco-friendly methods and modern farming techniques to optimize productivity and minimize environmental impact.

Meet our team

Francisco Roque de Pinho and Joaquín Labella, co-founders of The Land Group, have worked together for over fifteen years managing real asset investments across South America.

Together with a multidisciplinary team spanning asset management, operations, and finance, they have overseen agricultural investments representing 23 properties, 140,000 hectares, US$350 million in assets, and 16 exits across Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina.

The team operates farmland directly, combining on-the-ground execution with disciplined capital oversight across full biological and investment cycles.
Francisco Roque de Pinho
Francisco Roque de Pinho
Co-Founder
Business Development & Investments
Joaquín Labella
Joaquín Labella
Co-Founder
Asset Management & Operations
Juan Pedro Scremini Ortiz
Juan Pedro Scremini Ortiz
Co-Founder
Southern Cone Operations
Gonçalo Pereira Miguel
Gonçalo Pereira Miguel
Co-Founder
Iberia Operations
Nicolas García Ortiz
Nicolas García Ortiz
Co-Founder
Uruguay Operations
 Federico García Cóccaro
Federico García Cóccaro
Co-Founder
Uruguay Operations
Néstor Leguisamo
Néstor Leguisamo
Co-Founder
Cropping Advisory
Shirley Simoncelli
Shirley Simoncelli
Co-Founder
Commercial & Financial Control
Leyla Etchesar
Leyla Etchesar
Co-Founder
Financial Control
Miguel Pinheiro
Miguel Pinheiro
Co-Founder
Marketing
Edgardo Cardozo
Edgardo Cardozo
Co-Founder
Portfolio Management
Francisco Roque de Pinho
Co-Founder | 
Business Development & Investments

Francisco continues a century-old family tradition of managing extensive farmland in Portugal and South America, spanning four generations.

Prior to The Land Group, he led Union Group, a London-based FCA-regulated investment firm focused on South American real assets, and co-founded Union Energy Group, a Peruvian run-of-river hydropower developer later acquired by Polaris Renewable Energy, a TSX-listed company.

Earlier in his career, Francisco founded Plane Tree Capital, a renewable energy and carbon credit investment firm that he sold in 2011. He has also held roles in renewable energy investing, management consulting, and capital markets at Carbon Capital Markets, Booz Allen & Hamilton, Edmond de Rothschild Group, and Banco Itaú.

Alongside his investment career, Francisco has been surfing giant waves in Nazaré since 2017 and founded The Red Herrings, a professional big-wave surfing team focused on athlete development, ocean safety, and leadership programmes.

Francisco holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from HEC Lausanne. He speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish, and French fluently.

Joaquín Labella
Co-Founder | 
Asset Management & Operations

Joaquín brings deep agricultural roots, having grown up in Mercedes, a farming hub on Uruguay’s western border. His family has been involved in agriculture for three generations, beginning with his grandfather, Ariel Simoncelli, one of Uruguay’s largest money producers and its first exporter.

Since 2016, Joaquín has led operations across Uruguay, Paraguay, and Portugal, building and managing local operating teams and transitioning client farmland from lease-based structures to fully integrated operating models. He has played a central role in scaling regenerative farming practices across the portfolio.

Prior to The Land Group, Joaquín was an investment director at Union Group in London, where he led renewable energy and agricultural investments across South America. He managed the development of a 250 MW run-of-river hydropower portfolio in Peru, including 53 MW under long-term, dollar-denominated PPAs, and led the acquisition, financing, and construction of hydropower plants.

Joaquín’s finance and operational expertise is grounded in prior experience at CPA Ferrere and in treasury management at Conaprole.

Joaquín holds CPA and CFA credentials, as well as a master’s degree from the Universidad de Montevideo. He speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese fluently.

Juan Pedro Scremini Ortiz
Co-Founder | 
Southern Cone Operations

Juan Pedro joined The Land Group in 2020 to oversee operations and sustainability initiatives across our diverse portfolio of Uruguayan properties.

Juan Pedro previously worked as a crops controller at Semillas del Sur and Garmet; with cattle operations at Agrosocio; and with irrigation systems at Agrotracking.

Juan Pedro holds a degree in agricultural engineering from the Universidad de la República and undertook a Business course at Instituto BIOS in Montevideo, Uruguay. He speaks fluent Spanish and English.

Gonçalo Pereira Miguel
Co-Founder | 
Iberia Operations

An adaptive grazing expert, Gonçalo leads our operations in Portugal and ensures our regenerative farming practices are consistent across our portfolio.
Before joining The Land Group, Gonçalo worked on various regenerative agriculture projects in Portugal and Spain focused on Adaptive Multi-Paddock (AMP) grazing, agrosilvopastoral systems, and ecosystem restoration. His experience spans fieldwork, applied research, and advising on strategic land-use planning to promote sustainable rural development.

Gonçalo hold a Bachelor's degree in Natural Resources – Climate Smart Agriculture from Häme University of Applied Sciences in Finland and is concluding a Master’s degree in Management from Nova School of Business and Economics in Lisbon.

Gonçalo is fluent in Portuguese, English, Spanish, and German.

Nicolas García Ortiz
Co-Founder | 
Uruguay Operations

Nicolás joined The Land Group in 2020 to spearhead our operation at Villa Lucero, our 9,000-hectare Uruguayan flagship property, and oversees tenants across our portfolio.

Previously, Nicolás worked at Del Carmen ACISA and Rafael y Horacio Cash, overseeing winter and summer crops and managing logistics. His prior experience at Establecimiento La Cordillera made him an expert in artificial insemination. This skill has been the cornerstone of the cattle breeding operations we built at Villa Lucero and El Castillo.

Nicolás holds a degree in agricultural engineering from the Universidad de la República in Montevideo, Uruguay. He speaks fluent Spanish and English.

Federico García Cóccaro
Co-Founder | 
Uruguay Operations

Federico joined The Land Group in 2020 to oversee a portfolio of six Uruguayan properties combining cattle, row crops, and forestry on 8,500 hectares.

He has been instrumental in developing our regenerative cattle grazing operations on pasture/crop rotational systems at La Pilarica, El Tauro, and Cabatir, as well as on natural grassland at La Victoria.

Federico brings a wealth of expertise acquired in his previous roles with row crops at Empresa del Carmen ACISA, cattle breeding at Estancia Los Cerros de San Juan, and irrigation systems at Empresa Consultagro.

Federico holds a degree in agricultural engineering from the Universidad de la República in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Néstor Leguisamo
Co-Founder | 
Cropping Advisory

Néstor Leguisamo is an agricultural engineer with over thirty years of experience in farm management and consultancy, specialising in large-scale row crop production in Uruguay. His expertise spans summer crops such as sorghum, maize, and soybean, as well as winter crops like wheat, barley, and rapeseed.

Since 1993, Néstor has worked as an independent consultant, providing technical advice to agricultural businesses in Uruguay’s key productive regions. He has also led the technical advisory team at Galowin S.A., focusing on non-GMO soybean production, while managing his family’s integrated crop and livestock farming operation in Soriano.

Earlier in his career, he spent 20 years as a technical advisor at Alpino Ltda. and six years managing the 6,000-hectare Estancia Santa Emilia, overseeing agricultural, dairy, and livestock operations.

Beyond his consultancy work, Néstor has played an active role in Uruguay’s agricultural sector through FUCREA and as a representative at the National Wheat Board (MNT), promoting innovation in crop production. He has also collaborated with the USDA on its grain and oilseed reports for Uruguay. His international experience includes academic and research engagements in the United States, France, Germany, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada.

Néstor holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the University of the Republic and has completed postgraduate studies in agribusiness management at ORT University and the Catholic University of Uruguay.

Shirley Simoncelli
Co-Founder | 
Commercial & Financial Control

Shirley Simoncelli joined The Land Group in 2016 to oversee Financial Control, Procurement & Sales.

Shirley, who founded her own advisory firm Estudio Simoncellli, has decades of experience advising companies and local authorities on accounting, financial control, and compliance across various sectors, including healthcare, education, and agriculture.  

Shirley holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and a Postgraduate degree in Business Administration from the Universidad Católica del Uruguay.

Shirley is fluent in Spanish, English, French, and Italian.

Leyla Etchesar
Co-Founder | 
Financial Control
Miguel Pinheiro
Co-Founder | 
Marketing
Edgardo Cardozo
Co-Founder | 
Portfolio Management

Edgardo is a profoundly experienced agronomist and operations specialist who joined The Land Group in 2016. He has played a crucial role in shaping our portfolio strategy and overseeing its execution.

Previously, Edgardo held key leadership positions in various agricultural companies, including as a board member and technical advisor at Agriculture Investment Group, a company he co-founded. Before that, Edgardo served as Deputy Minister of Agriculture of Uruguay. 

With a PhD in Animal Science from Michigan State University and a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy from Universidad de la República, Edgardo brings a wealth of academic knowledge and practical experience to his role.

Edgardo is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

INVESTOR TESTIMONIALS

We partner with a focused group of long-term capital providers and landowners seeking disciplined, operator-led institutional exposure to farmland managed as natural capital.

Don’t just take our word for it

Independent validation of execution and outcomes

"

We engaged The Land Group to turn around a large investment in a struggling agricultural company. Their team demonstrated strong judgement, disciplined execution, and deep operational expertise in managing a complex situation. As a result, we achieved an orderly asset sale and a timely recovery of our capital. Their determination, transparency and reliability built a high level of trust throughout the life of the investment.

Owner, Family Office.
1
/
7
"

We have worked with The Land Group since 2017. During this period, they converted our property from a fully leased structure into a more profitable in-house livestock operation using their Precision Grazing system. They combine a clear regenerative vision with disciplined, on the ground execution, operating the asset with transparency and consistency across the full lifecycle. We place a high level of trust in their team and their ability to deliver against our objectives.

Owner, Family Office.
2
/
7
"

Hats off to The Land Group. They managed our exit from an investment in a distressed agricultural company and guided us through the resulting acquisition of a large farmland property in Uruguay. The team executed the operational recovery of the asset with rigour and discipline, restoring productivity and asset quality before carrying out a seamless sale that provided the liquidity we required.

President, Insurance Company
3
/
7
"

Francisco, Joaquín, and their team have overseen our farms since 2017, consistently demonstrating disciplined, competent, and highly professional management. Despite the geographical distance, they provided genuine reassurance by translating an innovative regenerative vision into rigorous, reliable execution. That transparency and consistency built a level of trust that has proven critical to us as long-term owners.

Owner, Asset Management Firm.
4
/
7
"

Bravo Francisco, that's a great result in record time.
Thank you for all your hard work.

Owner, Family Office.
5
/
7
"

The Land Group led the acquisition and operational turnaround of our property in Uruguay, producing grass-fed beef, soybeans, rice, and pulpwood. Their disciplined operating approach stabilised our asset and is now improving land productivity, resilience, and long-term value. We value the strength of our long-term partnership and the results delivered to date.

Owner, Family Office
6
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7
"

We engaged The Land Group in 2018 to turn-around our investment in 30,000 hectares of farmland in South America. Their intervention had an immediate impact on the profitability of our investment, ultimately leading to its successful disposal.

Director, Family Office.
7
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7
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