Problem
We solve the traceability challenge that regulations and trade requirements create for Brazilian grain cooperatives. The EU's EUDR bars soy and other commodities from the European market unless importers prove they are deforestation-free, with farm-level origin data, from 30 Dec 2026. About 50% of Brazil's soybean meal exports go to Europe, so buyers will require verifiable traceability from every supplier. Southern Brazil, the main soy crushing region, ships half of Brazil's soybean meal exports (12 Mt in 2025), and cooperatives are the main players in the region, holding 45% of the region storage and 35% of the producer base, they receive and storage grain from many member farms. That makes them the main bottleneck of EUDR, or any other regulation, compliance adequation: without a reliable way to trace and prove the origin of every lot, they risk losing European buyers. They need traceability and compliance infrastructure, and that is what NodalTrace provides.
Solution
NodalTrace solves the contamination problem that cooperatives struggle: non-compliant grain mixing into compliant lots. We validate suppliers and cross-check their data across multiple sources to flag risky origins before they enter a batch. We then follow each lot and where it has beign trough from origin to final destination This proof reaches the buyer together with the cargo, trusted and verifiable, anchored on blockchain, giving buyers a verifiable basis to ensure compliance while members' data stays private in a need-to-know basis.
Business model
B2B enterprise model in two layers: a fixed monthly fee scaled to the size of the cooperative's operation, plus a per-tonne fee of R$1 to R$10 negotiated case by case. Contracts include an annual minimum volume (for example, up to 100 kt) with an overage charge per extra tonne, and regressive pricing so the per-tonne price falls as volume grows. We expect an initial average ticket of about US$100K a year (100 kt at about R$5/t, plus the monthly fee), growing toward US$200-500K as cooperatives trace their whole operation.
Market
Our solution is not limited to one chain, and soy is only the first. Because we would trace a cooperative's entire operation, not just its EU-bound cargo, our base is all Brazilian soy exports in 2025: about 138 Mt in soy equivalent (beans shipped plus beans crushed into meal), to any destination. At R$5 (about US$1) per tonne traced, that is a revenue pool of about US$135M a year, of which cooperatives, our entry point, handle an estimated US$30-70M. Not counted: domestic volumes, other crops and chains, other countries, recurring platform fees, and the export growth since the EU-Mercosur agreement (soy +25.6%, crude corn oil +347%, roasted coffee +232%).
Competitors
Brazilian EUDR platforms are early-stage or focused on other supply chains, a sign of growing demand and a validated thesis for soybean meal. Global tools face high entry barriers and dollar-priced services, making them uncompetitive in our target segment. Public platforms are held back by bureaucracy, narrow scope and poor usability, resulting in low adoption and limited adaptability to each cooperative's operation.
Competitive differentiation
NodalTrace enters the market through cooperatives, which affiliate about half of all producers in southern Brazil, so each one we onboard opens access to its entire member base, a faster path to scale than farm-by-farm adoption. We use Solana, an innovative choice next to institutional blockchains, which lowers our cost per proof and leaves room to price below dollar-priced global tools while keeping healthy margins. Local pricing in reais and the backing of Apollo, the University of Passo Fundo's accelerator, in the heart of Brazil's southern grain belt, let us reach cooperatives faster than foreign or public platforms.
Entry barrier
Compliance and Supply-chain traceability is a risk-averse market. Once a cooperative integrates a platform and builds a verified record of its production base, switching means rebuilding that audit trail and risking its contracts. By entering during the surge of demand caused by EUDR adoption, we aim to become the standard that cooperatives and buyers already trust, and each new cooperative makes our proof more recognized by buyers. Late entrants face long sales cycles against an incumbent with a proven track record.
Traction
No revenue yet, but strong early validation. After pitching in August, we were accepted into Apollo's pre-incubation program (University of Passo Fundo). We won two hackathons, the Superteam Brasil University Hackathon and the Solana & Cursor Hackathon in Passo Fundo, earning prizes and a place in Superteam Brasil's the/Garage cohort in São Paulo. On the customer side, we held EUDR discovery calls with StoneX and 3tentos, have a meeting with Agrofel's EUDR traceability group on October 5, and are reaching out to other agribusiness companies. Our next goal is turning these conversations into a first paid pilot.