**Tierra Prieta** is a Mexican-owned biochar business located in Parras, Mexico. In partnership with Star del Norte, a large local pecan processing facility, we receive pecan shells year-round and convert them into biochar in our kilns, situated right next to the biomass source. Our biochar, known for its high carbon content, is produced in flake form, making it easy to use with common farming equipment. Thanks to our efficient and consistent production, our biochar is in high demand and is quickly sold in the US. **We have a five-year full capacity sales agreement with a US-based company, ensuring a reliable delivery of carbon removal**. Currently, we're collaborating with **Puro.earth** and anticipate completing the facility audit after we finish building our 2,000-ton-per-year biochar expansion in Q2 2024. At present, we offer carbon credits from our 400-ton-per-year pilot plant as pre-CORCs, which will be certified as CORCs following the final audit. Our Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) has been audited, and we are proud to be **one of the first industrial-scale carbon removal facilities in Latin America**. Below is more information about our project, in line with the Carbon Business Council guidelines: # **Additionality** Although Tierra Prieta has a five-year agreement to sell all biochar produced at our Parras facility, and our biochar is considered "premium" by the market for its high quality and easy-to-spread flake form, revenue from physical biochar alone is not sufficient to sustain the business. Sales from carbon removal enable us to invest in our facilities, hire more staff, and repay our CAPEX loans. Our business model views carbon removal as an internal subsidy mechanism for physical biochar, allowing more farmers to benefit from improved soil conditions at an accessible price point. # **Durability** Adhering to the Puro.earth Biochar Methodology, we base our process on decades of scientific research to ensure a minimum of 100 years of durability for the carbon removal we offer. Before issuing credits, we lab test each batch to verify that our biochar is highly resistant to biological degradation in soil. This rigorous methodology also takes into account soil temperature, H/C molar ratios, organic carbon content, kiln temperatures, and includes an added buffer to guarantee the 100-year durability. We fully comply with these requirements and expect our durability to exceed these initial estimates. # **Net-Negativity** Our third-party commissioned and audited cradle-to-grave Life Cycle Analysis calculated 150kg CO2eq emissions per ton of biochar produced, delivered, and used. Overall, considering our lab results, average soil temperature where our biochar is applied, and including a buffer, we claim a removal of 2.5 CO2eq tons for each ton of biochar, supporting each claim with evidence from our production logs, lab results, invoices, and export documents. # **Verification** Carbon removal requires extensive documentation, auditing, and verification before market entry. Tierra Prieta's production team meticulously logs every change in temperature, biochar output, and even weather conditions to ensure compliance with the Puro.earth Biochar Methodology. We are acutely aware of the need to build trust in the carbon removal industry and commit to offering carbon removal credits only to the extent that we can conservatively and reliably deliver within the next 18 months. # **Equity and Community Engagement** Parras, a small town noted for hosting the first vineyards in the Americas and being the first location outside the US to experience electric lighting when Thomas A. Edison demonstrated his invention to the Madero family, is both beautiful and historic. Except for our founders who reside in nearby Monterrey, all our employees are hired locally. With a declining manufacturing sector and seasonal tourism and agriculture jobs, Parras faces employment challenges. We offer higher wages compared to other regional manufacturing hubs, enabling locals to work year-round close to their families without compromising their personal income. We also support local contractors, electricians, plumbers, etc., and purchase equipment from local stores to reinvest our revenue into the local economy. In addition to this direct impact, our 30% owner Star del Norte is renowned for its philanthropic investments in the Parras community, such as funding school lunches, sponsoring events that boost tourism and local business income, supporting a local women's shelter, sponsoring Comedor Santa Maria, and many more initiatives.