In this interview, Luis Fernando Guedes Pinto talks about his role in introducing a sustainable cattle certification scheme in Brazil. He begins by discussing why the development of a cattle certification program was central to Imaflora’s (The Institute of Agricultural and Forest Management and Certification) forest conservation mission. He explains the challenges that Imaflora faced in convincing cattle ranchers of the benefits of certification. He articulates the critical difficulties in setting acceptable sustainability standards that balanced minimization of a deforestation risk with developing a critical mass of certified beef. He discusses the reasons for the limited success of the certification scheme. He concludes by asserting that an increase in beef certification could be achieved through increased consumer demand for certification from cattle producers.