Regenerating Natural Capital in the Rainforests of Costa Rica

When Amanda Wilson (right), Joshua Hughes (center) and Sara Czarniecki (left) founded Blacksheep Regenerative Resource Management in 2015, they committed to honoring their custormers, communities, workers, shareholders and the land.

Based on 178 acres in the rainforests of Costa Rica, the Blacksheep team works alongside local neighbors to regenerate degraded land into biodiverse mixed forests. Their competitively priced turmeric products are the result of the reforestation process, and they create livelihoods for Blacksheep’s worker-owners.

Now Blacksheep is scaling. The company offers a suite of services to help other teams start regenerative projects and to connect investors with landowners in environmentally exhausted areas. It’s also working to secure private investors to fund an agricultural processing center in Costa Rica. 

Bard MBA students Michael Conway and PJ Connolly spoke with Wilson, Hughes and Czarniecki about why it’s important that businesspeople enter the agricultural space, the company’s services, and Blacksheep’s plans to scale.