en.Wedoany.com Reported - Against the backdrop of declining sales for most companies in the Brazilian agricultural machinery sector due to reduced investment by major crop producers, manufacturer Indústrias Colombo, located in the interior of São Paulo state, achieved counter-cyclical growth by focusing on the niche crop market. In 2025, the company's revenue grew from R$533 million in 2024 to R$601 million, an increase of 12%, primarily driven by the performance of coffee planting equipment and the expansion of peanut acreage.
The company's COO and third-generation representative of the founding family, Neto Colombo Neto, stated that the company has long been deeply involved in the niche crop sector, with some niche markets performing well. For example, peanut growers are among its main clients. At the 2026 Agrishow, Colombo will launch a brand-new product for the black pepper crop—a pickup thresher, which is the world's first equipment to mechanize black pepper harvesting. Brazil is the world's second-largest producer and exporter of black pepper, after Vietnam. According to IBGE data, the annual harvest volume is 125,000 tons, with exports in the first 11 months of 2025 amounting to approximately US$300 million (around R$1.5 billion at current exchange rates). This equipment was developed by the group's agricultural machinery brand MIAC; previously, black pepper picking relied entirely on manual labor.
The black pepper pickup machine is adapted from similar equipment the company produces for robusta coffee harvesting. The two crops are grown in similar regions with steep terrain, requiring different machinery. MIAC's implement is towed by a tractor and collects branches that fall onto canvas sheets laid on the ground. For arabica coffee, the company launched equipment last year to help sweep and collect beans after mechanical shaking. Neto stated that the company is the market leader in the collection of fallen coffee beans, with recent growth attributed to favorable crop conditions and new product launches between 2024 and 2025.
In the pulse crop sector, MIAC showcased a compact header at Agrishow, with a width of only 4.20 meters (less than one-third of traditional equipment), designed for small fields or areas with irregular terrain, utilizing ground contour sensors to enhance cutting precision. The company also manufactures large peanut harvesters, which can sell for up to R$600,000. In 2025, Brazil's peanut planted area expanded by nearly 25%, allowing Colombo to increase its sales volume. Neto explained that this was partly due to low soybean prices; peanuts are rotated with sugarcane, and if soybean prices are unfavorable, growers switch to peanuts. However, he expects a reduction in peanut acreage in 2026, calling it a "natural adjustment."
The company currently has an annual production volume of about 3,000 units and plans to invest R$30 million in 2026 to expand two factories and introduce modern equipment such as welding robots and machining tools. The R&D center is preparing for product launches in the coming years and will enter other undisclosed niche markets. Furthermore, the group's subsidiary Aemco (which manufactures transmission components for agricultural machinery) is actively exploring overseas markets, attempting to replace China as a supplier for equipment manufacturers in the United States and Argentina. Neto indicated that Aemco leverages its geographical proximity and US-China trade tensions as advantages, with most current client contacts in the validation phase. Aemco contributes approximately 30% of the group's revenue and acts as a hedge by selling aftermarket parts when the new machinery market is weak.
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