But besides soccer, there is a lot more to this South American country. Officially known as 'Brasil' or 'Republica Federtiva do Brasil', it is not only the most populous country in Latin America, but also one of the biggest countries in the world.
And it’s not just soccer that Brazil is famous for. Brazil is the world's largest coffee producer and produces around 25% of the world's supply of coffee. Eighty percent of coffee from Brazil is Arabica.
Which is not surprising why the Class of 2012 found itself with 5 Brazilians enrolled.
Let me introduce them to you, one by one.
Pedro Silveira Lisboa
Pedro was born in Brasilia - the political capital of Brazil - and studied Business Administration at the University of Brasilia (UnB), graduating in 2003.
Pedro’s professional life with coffee began in 2004, when he was invited to start a partnership in the coffee industry. He became the General Manager and developed the brand Cristina Cafés Especiais (Cristina Specialty Coffee) and the coffee supply chain of this business. Today, the company has a roasting unit and coffee distribution unit. In addition to that, the company boasts 2 coffee shops, points of sales in the most important airports in Brazil and representations in Berlin, New York and the United Arab Emirates.
Pedro’s favorite way of enjoying his coffee: depends on the moment…in the mornings he prefers a frothy cappuccino, but in the afternoons it’s a classic espresso with no sugar.
Heloisa Mara de Melo
Heloisa was born and raised in São Paulo city. Her involvement with Coffee began much before her birth, with her grandparents producing coffee in the Southern region of Minas Gerais. During her childhood and in her youth, under the influence of her family’s culture for coffee, she believed that "when she grew up" she would study something related to Coffee. Years later it was realized with her graduation in Agricultural Engineering.
During her university years, Heloisa had the opportunity to participate in a Program of Higher Education Consortium between Brazil and the U.S., where she attended a semester at Universities in Nebraska and California. Once back home in Brazil, Heloisa started an extra-curricular training in the Agroconsult Consultancy and Projects, a company traditionally specialized in the grain market (soybean and corn). Since working there, Heloisa has expressed much interest in directing her studies towards the Coffee Agribusiness, which was accepted with enthusiasm by the team.
Heloisa’s favorite way of enjoying her coffee: a “nero” which is the Triestino way of ordering an espresso.
Caetano de Carvalho Berlatto
Caetano was born in Cascavel-PR, but has been living in Barreiras-BA since 1992. His family has a farm near Barreiras, and they grow soybeans, corn, rice, beans, cattle and of course coffee. In 2007 he graduated in Agronomy Engineering from the Federal University of Viçosa and did his MBA in Foreign Trade and International Business at Fundação Getúlio Vargas. In 2009, Caetano moved to Belo Horizonte to work in the Agriculture and Livestock Federation of Minas Gerais as an agribusiness analyst in charge of the coffee area.
Caetano’s favorite way of enjoying his coffee: a classic espresso.
Glauce de Fernandes e Lourenço
Glauce was born and raised in Viçosa, Minas Gerais. In 2001 she got her first degree in Electrical Engineering and in 2012 her second degree in Agronomy. She did two Academic Exchange Programs: the first at North Carolina State University (NCSU) and the second at Virginia Tech, both American universities.
Glauce’s favorite way of enjoying her coffee: a “capo in bi”, which is an espresso in a shot glass with a dollop of frothy milk.
Marco Mammana
Marco was born in Sao Paulo Brazil and is of Italian descent; his great-grandparents came to Brazil at the beginning of the century and have always had business connected with industry and food. Today, he is a member of the company founded by his father - the Italian Coffee Brazil - which is the official distributor of La Cimbali in Brazil. Marco is also a partner of another company, a coffee chain, founded by his maternal grandfather called Casa do Pao de Queijo.
Marco’s favorite way of enjoying his coffee: a strong ristretto.