NaturaNectar

Today, NaturaNectar enjoys developing best-in-class bee propolis supplements and ingredients from raw materials harvested in Brazil. It all started back in 2008 when founding partners J.L. Paes-Leme and Alessandro Esteves met to design and create the ideas behind what NaturaNectar offers today. Alessandro was a local businessman who was in love with the honeybees and had just discovered the botanical origin of the Brazilian Red Propolis during a scientific expedition with researchers at the University of São Paulo. At the same time, J.L. was wrapping up a successful career in the financial services world and was looking forward to the next chapter of his life with more purpose and impact in the world. "It was one of the many trips I have done from Miami to Sao Paulo, Brazil. As a senior executive of one of the largest financial services multinational companies, in charge of Brazil at the time, I was very used to this trip. Flight attendants already knew me by name... This trip was different though. It was to explore my exit strategy from the company that gave me a 21-year exciting career. I felt it was time to do something fundamentally different with my life, something that could make a great impact on people's lives. I was on my way to explore the potential business opportunity of what we call NaturaNectar and PhenolicFactory today. As I crossed the Equator line flying over South America, I started to type in a few basic caveats that Alessandro and I would have to agree upon before we could do any business together: - Be conscious of the many needs of "our neighbors", especially the ones closest to us. - A strong desire to have a portion of the company's profits directed to charity. - Absolutely conduct our business with the highest degree of integrity, ethics, and respect. - Pledge to learn to appreciate and value each other's strengths and help one another bridge our gaps. When I presented this to him, his face could not hide how aligned our thoughts were... and so it all began!" J.L. Paes-Leme, Founder/CEO