Dois jovens de Goiás e um atalho entre a fábrica e a fazenda: a história em inglês, no seu nível
João Pedro Aguiar de Souza e Pedro Galindo, de 24 anos, captaram R$ 30 milhões para a Vereda, que vende insumos da indústria direto ao produtor. Leia a história em inglês, no seu nível.
World, meet Brazil · Edição #5
Boas notícias de brasileiros fazendo história, em inglês e no seu nível.
03 NEGÓCIOS · RIO VERDE (GO) → R$ 30 MILHÕES
Escolha o seu nível:
Básico · A2 Frases curtas e palavras do dia a dia
Two young Brazilians and a new way to sell to farmers
João Pedro Aguiar de Souza and Pedro Galindo are both 24. In 2025, they started Vereda, a company in Rio Verde, in the state of Goiás.
Farmers need seeds and fertilizers. Fertilizers help plants grow. Many farmers buy them from a dealer, a store between the factory and the farm.
Vereda works for about ten companies that make these products. It sells directly to farmers. The company says prices can be more than 30% lower this way.
Now Vereda has R$30 million from investors.
The idea is still new. The founders say they need to show that it works with many farmers.
Palavras para guardar
| farmer | agricultor, produtor rural |
| seed | semente |
| fertilizer | fertilizante, adubo |
| dealer | revenda, revendedor |
| directly | diretamente |
| price | preço |
| investor | investidor |
Your turn
What would you like to buy directly from the factory? Complete the sentence: "I would buy ______ directly because ______."
O que você gostaria de comprar direto da fábrica?
Intermediário · B1/B2 Mais detalhes, como numa matéria de jornal
Two 24-year-old founders raise R$30 million to cut out the middleman in farming
Vereda, an agtech startup founded in late 2025 in Rio Verde, Goiás, has raised R$30 million in a seed round co-led by Canary and Valor Capital Group. Its founders, João Pedro Aguiar de Souza and Pedro Galindo, are both 24.
The startup is tackling a familiar problem. Farmers usually buy seeds and fertilizers from dealers, which keep stock and often give them seven to eight months to pay, until the harvest. Several of these dealers are now in financial trouble.
Vereda works as a sales arm for about ten manufacturers. It sells directly to farmers, earns a commission and holds no stock. The company says this can cut the final price by more than 30%. Its salespeople use Vera, a WhatsApp-based platform where AI turns their audio messages into records.
The model has not been tested at scale. In a pilot for the 2026/27 season, a financial partner would pay manufacturers upfront, and farmers would repay it on a schedule tied to the harvest. Souza said the team still needed to prove that the model works at scale.
Palavras para guardar
| to raise | captar (dinheiro), neste contexto |
| seed round | rodada seed, a primeira rodada de investimento |
| to tackle | enfrentar (um problema) |
| stock | estoque |
| harvest | colheita |
| commission | comissão |
| upfront | à vista, adiantado |
Your turn
Think of a product you buy often. Who are the middlemen between the factory and you? Explain how buying directly could change the price or the service.
Pense num produto que você compra com frequência: quem são os intermediários entre a fábrica e você, e o que mudaria se você comprasse direto?
Avançado · C1 O texto completo, com expressões e contexto
Cutting out the middleman: two 24-year-olds bet on a new way to supply Brazil's farms
Brazilian farmers face a recurring puzzle: they must buy seeds and fertilizers months before the harvest pays for them. Local dealers have long filled that gap, keeping stock and carrying farmers for seven to eight months. That system is now under strain: the country's three largest dealer networks are in judicial or out-of-court recovery.
João Pedro Aguiar de Souza and Pedro Galindo, both 24, think they have a better answer. In early November, Vereda, the agtech they founded in Rio Verde, Goiás, in late 2025, announced a R$30 million seed round.
Vereda cuts out the middleman: it acts as the sales arm of about ten manufacturers, selling straight to farmers and holding no stock. The company says this can cut the final price by more than 30%, a claim that has yet to be tested at scale.
The road here was not straight. Their first bet, WhatsApp alone, drew sign-ups but no orders. So they put field salespeople at the center and built Vera, a platform where AI turns voice notes into structured records, which, Galindo said, frees sellers for what only they can do.
The hardest part lies ahead. A financing pilot for the 2026/27 season still has to prove itself, and industry veterans question how the model can grow without stock, logistics or credit of its own. Souza acknowledged as much: the team, he said, now needs to prove it works at scale.
The lesson travels beyond farming: tools can organize the work, but trust is built in conversation. Languages work the same way: an app can schedule your practice, but fluency comes from talking to real people.
Palavras para guardar
| to cut out the middleman | eliminar o intermediário |
| to fill a gap | preencher uma lacuna |
| to carry (someone) | bancar, financiar alguém, neste contexto |
| under strain | sob pressão |
| to have yet to | ainda não ter (feito algo) |
| sign-up | cadastro, inscrição |
| voice note | mensagem de áudio |
| to lie / lies ahead | estar por vir / está por vir |
| to acknowledge | reconhecer, admitir |
Your turn
Vereda's first plan failed because it ignored how people really buy. Describe a situation where technology could not replace a human conversation, and explain why.
Descreva uma situação em que a tecnologia não conseguiu substituir uma conversa entre pessoas e explique por quê.
Fontes
- Startups: Vereda capta R$ 30M para conectar indústria de insumos direto ao produtor (03/11/2026)
- AgFeed: Eles têm 24 anos e convenceram investidores de que podem mudar a distribuição de insumos. Vão conseguir? (06/11/2026)
- The AgriBiz: Vereda quer reinventar as revendas agrícolas. A encrenca é grande (05/11/2026)
As falas de João Pedro Aguiar de Souza e Pedro Galindo foram adaptadas em discurso indireto a partir da reportagem do Startups. As dúvidas de especialistas vêm do AgFeed, e o bastidor do primeiro modelo, só pelo WhatsApp, vem do The AgriBiz.
Do ler ao falar
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