Santa Clara, Calif., 2 September 2025 — Miller Center Capital, in partnership with fund manager Beneficial Returns, has provided catalytic financing to Tierra de Monte, a woman-led agricultural innovation company regenerating Mexican farmland. The investment brings together four impact investors, including Beneficial Returns, 3rd Creek Foundation, and a Miller Center mentor, to join the round. The funding is expected to unlock growth opportunities and accelerate the adoption of regenerative, climate-smart practices across Mexico.
Tierra de Monte partners with farmers of all sizes — from smallholders to large agro-industrial producers — offering science-based biological solutions and expert agronomic guidance. Its products harness naturally occurring microorganisms to replace synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, helping them improve yields, lower input costs, and restore soil health.
Regeneration at Scale
Miller Center Capital financing will address a key challenge to scaling the business: growing farmer reach. Tierra de Monte plans to expand its distributor network to improve last-mile delivery in rural regions and engage high-volume institutional partners, such as corporate buyers, aggregators, and cooperatives, that can drive large-scale adoption of regenerative practices. Funds will also support product registration, regulatory compliance, and onboarding agronomic personnel for technical assistance to farmers in new territories.
“For decades, conventional agriculture has depleted soils, trapped farmers in costly input cycles, and eroded rural livelihoods,” said Adriana Luna Díaz, co-founder and CEO of Tierra de Monte. “With this financing, we can reach more farmers, more quickly — offering solutions that restore the land, strengthen communities, and create a healthier future for all.”
In a rural community in Estado de México, for example, the Mayorga family used Tierra de Monte’s products and agronomic support to revive the fertility of ancestral land abandoned for years. Their grandchildren returned from Canada to plant criollo maize — a heritage crop nearly lost to industrial monoculture — restoring both the soil and a piece of family history.
Finance Designed for Systems Change
Miller Center Capital — the investment arm of Miller Center for Global Impact — aims to provide risk-tolerant investments that regenerative agriculture requires to scale effectively. Implementing regenerative practices requires farmers to fundamentally change how they work, often placing their livelihoods at risk with only one or two planting cycles per year. Patient capital is critical in this context, enabling enterprises like Tierra de Monte to build trust through agronomic expertise and long-term support that meets farmers where they are.
“Tierra de Monte is proving that regenerative agriculture can deliver both environmental and economic gains,” said Paul Belknap, Impact Investing Director at Miller Center. “This financing will help them reach more farmers faster, while creating a model that others can follow.”
A 2024 graduate of Miller Center’s core accelerator program, Tierra de Monte is currently enrolled in Miller Center’s 2025 cohort of the In-Residence investment readiness accelerator that culminates at Santa Clara and SOCAP this October. Miller Center Capital’s investment in Tierra de Monte demonstrates the power of pairing entrepreneur-centric capital with programmatic support to accelerate solutions that serve farmers, restore land, and reshape the future of agriculture.
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About Miller Center for Global Impact
For nearly 30 years, Miller Center for Global Impact has been a leader in advancing social entrepreneurship to end poverty and protect the planet. With a focus on climate resilience and women’s economic power, Miller Center accelerates social enterprises aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Based at Santa Clara University, the center blends the innovation of Silicon Valley with a deep commitment to social justice and global impact. Miller Center has supported more than 1,500 social enterprises across over 100 countries.
About Beneficial Returns
Beneficial Returns is an impact investment manager that finances social enterprises working to alleviate poverty and protect the natural environment. Founded in 2016, Beneficial Returns uses capital to catalyze systemic change in emerging markets. Headquartered in San Francisco, the firm brings together a diverse global team with experience across finance, social enterprise, and development.
Media Contact:
Karen Carter
Director of Marketing Communications
Miller Center for Global Impact
kcarter1@scu.edu
Investment Contact:
Paul Belknap
Director of Impact Investing
Miller Center for Global Impact
pbelknap@scu.edu
