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Building tomorrow's natural capital

Founded in 2016, The Land Group is an independent, fully integrated real assets manager and regenerative farmland operator with 40,000 hectares under operation.

We provide institutional and family office investors with a full range of services across the entire asset lifecycle, including acquisition, conversion to regenerative practices, production, procurement and sales, natural resource and infrastructure management, investor relations, and administration.

In a sector often hindered by outdated practices, we employ innovative regenerative approaches to help our clients achieve well-managed exposure to the farmland asset class, resulting in consistent, financially compelling, and environmentally sustainable investment returns.

distinctive investment & operating approach

We combine a rigorous investment strategy with an innovative operating approach to deliver consistent annual returns and sustainable long-term asset appreciation to our institutional, family office, and fund investors.

Rigorous Investment Sourcing 

We source diverse diverse acquisition opportunities, prioritising mixed-use farmland with renewable water sources, soil regeneration potential, and wildlife conservation prospects.

Regenerative Operating Model

We build on our experience turning around distressed agricultural operations to maximise the long-term value of the properties we operate.

Comprehensive Sustainability Framework

We are committed to building a sustainable agricultural system that balances economic, environmental, and social imperatives. 

Tailored Asset Management Solutions

We support our clients at every stage of the investment life cycle through bespoke, separately managed, non-discretionary accounts that cater to their specific needs.

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 jointly managed real asset investments for over twelve years.  

With a team of seasoned asset management and operations professionals, they have overseen agriculture investments representing 23 properties, 140,000 hectares, US$350 million in assets, and 14 exits across Uruguay, Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina.
Francisco Roque de Pinho
Francisco Roque de Pinho
Co-Founder
Business Development & Investments
Joaquín Labella
Joaquín Labella
Co-Founder
Asset Management & Operations
Shirley Simoncelli
Shirley Simoncelli
Co-Founder
Financial Control, Procurement & Sales
Edgardo Cardozo
Edgardo Cardozo
Co-Founder
Portfolio Management
Manuel Cardoso Pinto
Manuel Cardoso Pinto
Co-Founder
Business Developer
Juan Pedro Scremini Ortiz
Juan Pedro Scremini Ortiz
Co-Founder
Operations, Sustainability
José Almeida
José Almeida
Co-Founder
Digital
Diego Jerez
Diego Jerez
Co-Founder
Operations
Nicolas García Ortiz
Nicolas García Ortiz
Co-Founder
Operations
Raul Culñev
Raul Culñev
Co-Founder
Operations
 Federico García Cóccaro
Federico García Cóccaro
Co-Founder
Operations
Leandro Hernandéz
Leandro Hernandéz
Co-Founder
Budgeting & Control
Abel Benitez Lopez
Abel Benitez Lopez
Co-Founder
Operations
Giovanni Paolo Lacarruba
Giovanni Paolo Lacarruba
Co-Founder
Operations
Francisco Roque de Pinho
Co-Founder | 
Business Development & Investments

Launching The Land Group in 2016 represented for Francisco the perpetuation of a family tradition managing extensive privately owned farmland holdings in Portugal and South America, a practice started by his great-grandfather over a hundred years ago and continued by subsequent generations.

Francisco previously led London-based Union Group, an investment firm focused on real assets in South America and co-founded Union Energy Group, a Peruvian run-of-river hydropower project developer later acquired by TSX-listed Polaris Renewable Energy.

Before these ventures, Francisco founded Plane Tree Capital, a renewable energy and carbon markets-focused investment firm regulated by the UK FCA, sold to Union Group in 2011.

Earlier in his career, Francisco worked in renewable energy and carbon credit investments at Carbon Capital Markets, management consulting at Booz Allen Hamilton, and capital markets at Edmond de Rothschild Group and Banco Icatu in London, Geneva, and Rio de Janeiro.

Besides his busy professional life, Francisco has been surfing giant waves in Nazaré, Portugal, since 2017. This serious hobby has grown into Team Red Herrings, a big wave surfing team he co-founded to develop talent, carry out ocean-related social and environmental initiatives, provide water patrol services, and organise management training and team-building offsites for professional sports teams and companies.

Francisco holds an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor’s degree in Business and Economics from École des Hautes Études Commerciales de Lausanne in Switzerland. Francisco speaks fluent English, Portuguese, Spanish and French.

Joaquín Labella
Co-Founder | 
Asset Management & Operations

A co-founder of The Land Group, Joaquín has deep roots in agriculture, having grown up in Mercedes, an agricultural hub surrounded by fertile farmland 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 honey producers and its first exporter who, remarkably, remains active in farming at the age of 90.

Since 2016, Joaquín has led our operations in Uruguay and Paraguay, where he has built the local teams of operations and management professionals that underpin our organisation. He was instrumental in transitioning our clients’ holdings from a lease-based to an operating model and expanding our regenerative farming initiatives across our portfolio.

Before co-founding The Land Group, Joaquín was an investment director at Union Group (UK) LLP in London, spearheading renewable energy and agriculture ventures across South America. In this role, he managed the development of a 250 MW portfolio of run-of-river hydropower projects in Peru, including 53 MW with long-term sovereign dollar-denominated power purchase agreements. He also led the acquisition of an operating 6 MW plant and the financing and construction of two hydropower projects with 27 MW, raising $28 million in equity from institutional investors and $60 million in project finance debt from a consortium of international Development Finance Institutions (KfW/DEG, FMO, OeEb, and COFIDE).

Joaquín's finance, agriculture, and renewable energy expertise is supported by his consulting background at CPA Ferrere and treasury management at Conaprole. He holds CPA and CFA credentials and earned a master’s from Universidad de Montevideo. He is fluent in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.

Shirley Simoncelli
Co-Founder | 
Financial Control, Procurement & Sales

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.

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.

Manuel Cardoso Pinto
Co-Founder | 
Business Developer

Manuel joined The Land Group in 2024 to oversee business development and marketing.

Before joining us, Manuel led design and marketing at Pickles Caps, a successful online hat company he co-founded in 2020. He simultaneously played rugby professionally at Racing Club Narbonnais in France.

Manuel, who has been playing rugby for the Portuguese Rugby Federation since 2012, was a standout player for the Portuguese National Rugby Team, "Os Lobos", during the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.

Manuel holds a Bachelor's degree in Publicity and Marketing from Escola Superior de Comunicação Social in Lisbon and completed a specialisation in Motion Design, 3D, and VFX at World Academy Portugal.

Manuel speaks fluent English, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Juan Pedro Scremini Ortiz
Co-Founder | 
Operations, Sustainability

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.

José Almeida
Co-Founder | 
Digital

José Almeida joined The Land Group in 2024 to oversee our company’s digital initiatives, from designing and implementing online growth strategies to collecting, processing, and reporting the extensive data generated by our farming activities.

Before joining us, José led digital advertising initiatives at GroupM and Zumub, managing over €2 million in digital advertising for diverse acceleration projects, ranging from startups to Fortune 500 companies. Inspired by this success, he founded Scalyng Growth Agency, helping companies activate their data to create value.

As an external consultant, José has worked with early-stage startups and scale-ups to support their growth strategies for customer acquisition and retention.

José holds a Bachelor's degree in Marketing from Universidade do Aveiro and a post-graduation in Data Science from Atlântica.

José speaks fluent English and Portuguese.

Diego Jerez
Co-Founder | 
Operations

Diego joined the Land group in 2019 to oversee our operations in Paraguay.

Previously, Diego managed over 80,000 hectares of farmland in Uruguay and Paraguay dedicated to livestock, row crops, and pulpwood.

Diego holds a PhD from SMC University in Switzerland and a bachelor’s degree in Farm Management from Facultad de Ciencias Agrarias of Uruguay, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude. In addition, Diego has completed several farm management courses at Lincoln University in New Zealand and agricultural economic studies at Minnesota State University in the United States.

Diego speaks fluent English, Spanish and Portuguese.

Nicolas García Ortiz
Co-Founder | 
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.

Raul Culñev
Co-Founder | 
Operations

Raúl Culñev joined The Land Group in 2024 to oversee livestock management at La Victoria, our 5,000-hectare farm in northwestern Uruguay.

Raúl has more than 30 years of experience managing cattle production—from breeding to finishing—and crop operations across multiple regions in Uruguay, both on a principal and agency basis. His expertise includes livestock, crop production, procurement and sales, personnel, project management, and administration.

Raúl holds a degree of Agricultural Technician from Universidad del Trabajo del Uruguay.

Federico García Cóccaro
Co-Founder | 
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.

Leandro Hernandéz
Co-Founder | 
Budgeting & Control

Leandro joined The Land Group in 2024 to oversee Budgeting & Control.

Before joining us, Leandro managed rural investments at the Caja Notarial de Seguridad Social. He also worked as an administrative assistant at the Asociación de Magistrados del Uruguay and as an accounting and administrative assistant at Estudio Soneira & Asociados.

Leandro holds a Bachelor’s degree in accounting from Universidad Católica del Uruguay and is pursuing a degree in agricultural business management at the Universidad de la Empresa.

Leandro is fluent in English and Spanish.

Abel Benitez Lopez
Co-Founder | 
Operations

Abel joined The Land Group in 2019 as a procurement, sales, and logistics manager.

Previously, Abel oversaw logistics and procurement at Agroganadera Pyvithur and Agronegocios Terere. Before that, Abel was a manager at Zusa, a Paraguayan petrol distribution company servicing the agricultural sector.

Abel holds a degree as a technical agronomist from the Escuela Agrícola in San Pedro del Ycuamandyú, Paraguay.

Abel speaks fluent Spanish and Guaraní.

Giovanni Paolo Lacarruba
Co-Founder | 
Operations

Giovanni joined The Land Group in 2019 as a technical agronomist.

Previously, Giovanni worked in multiple roles, from production to sales, at various Paraguayan agricultural companies.

Giovanni holds an engineering degree in zootechnics from the Universidad San Carlos in Asunción, Paraguay.

Giovanni speaks fluent Spanish.

INVESTOR TESTIMONIALS

We serve a wide array of sophisticated international clients, primarily institutionals (e.g., insurance companies, pension funds), family offices, and fund managers. 

Don’t just take our word for it

Read what our clients have to say about us.

"

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

L.D., Owner, Family Office.
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The Land Group operates our property to the highest standards, ensuring transparency every step of the way. They totally get us. Our trust in their team is unparalleled.

W.B., Owner, Family Office.
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"

Hats off to The Land Group! They facilitated our exit from an underperforming investment and guided us through the acquisition of a remarkable 9,000-hectare property. The team played a crucial role in restoring this historic property to its former glory before orchestrating a successful sale that provided us with the liquidity we needed.

C.B., President, Insurance Company.
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The Land Group helped us acquire a prestigious agricultural property that produces high-quality grass-fed beef, soybean, rice, and pulpwood. Their skilled team runs operations efficiently, focusing on innovative farming methods that regenerate the land. Their hard work is improving the farm's productivity by the day, unlocking its full potential while minimising its environmental footprint.

L.A., Owner, Family Office.
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"

Francisco, Joaquín and their team have overseen our farms since 2017, consistently demonstrating the highest level of professionalism. Despite the geographical distance separating us from our investment, we find absolute reassurance in their competent and diligent management. This certainly helps me sleep at night.

J.T., Owner, Asset Management Firm.
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We engaged The Land Group in 2018 to turn around the management of 30,000 hectares of farmland we acquired in South America. Their work had an immediate impact on the profitability of our investment, leading to the successful disposal of a third of our portfolio. We value highly the work ethics and competence of the team.

V.N., Director, Family Office.
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We hired The Land Group to improve a struggling investment. We were impressed by their proactivity and determination in restructuring operations, and the expertise they demonstrated in managing such a complex case. As a result of their efforts, we managed to sell most assets and recover our capital in a timely manner.

F.N., Owner, Family Office.
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