Luiz Roberto Saldanha
Director
Luiz Roberto Saldanha has a degree in Agronomic Engineering, Business Administration, MBA in Production Management and Specialization in Corporate Coffee Culture. Luiz started working with coffee in 2004 at the invitation of his godfather Dr. Paulo César Saldanha (in memoriam), to take over the management of the century-old Fazenda Califórnia and implement a project for the production of special and sustainable coffees in the State of Paraná. In 2007, he joined the Cafés Especiais do Norte Pioneiro do Paraná Project.
In 2010 he was elected Vice-President of the Specialty Coffees Association of Norte Pioneiro do Paraná (ACENPP) and, in 2012, he assumed the presidency of the institution. Under its management and in partnership with the other institutions participating in the project, in May 2012, the Norte Pioneiro do Paraná Region received the Registration of Geographical Indication of Origin with the INPI (National Institute of Trademarks and Patents), becoming, at the time, the third producing region in Brazil to receive it.
Luiz was an active member of the Technical Committee on Coffee Culture of the Federation of Agriculture of the State of Paraná (FAEP) between the years 2007 and 2014 and a member of the Sectorial Chamber of Coffee of the State of Paraná, having been elected sub-manager of the entity between the years 2011 and 2012.
During the period, he assisted in the elaboration of projects for restructuring coffee production in Paraná together with the research and extension agencies of the State, in order to assist the development of public policies for the sector.Managing Fazenda Califórnia, he was responsible for the implementation of the UTZ Certified (2007) and Rainforest Alliance (2011) social and environmental certification protocols, the first certified property in the State of Paraná, in both cases.Fascinated by the search for knowledge in the different production and post-harvest techniques of specialty coffees, since 2009, he has made technical visits to different producing countries such as: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Colombia.
He also carried out technical collaboration work with renowned international specialists Aida Batlle, from El Salvador, and Lucia Solis, from the USA, validating different fermentation protocols and implementing good processing practices from the wine industry to Fazenda California.
As a cupper, he was a member of the national judges of the Cup of Excellence Competition (COE) in different editions and, in 2013, he was part of COE International Jury. In 2012 he was certified Q-Grader by the Coffee Quality Institute and is currently part of the Assistant Instructors Team of the institution.
With the adaptation of Fazenda California's production processes, and the search for continuous improvement, it won several awards in State and National quality contests, as well as the honor of being part of the select group of recognized properties with the seal of “Cup of Excellence”. Fazenda California was the first property in Paraná to win a COE title (2010) and the only one to repeat the feat (2015).
In 2015, he was co-founder of Exportadora Capricórnio Coffees, a company created with the aim of promoting the sustainable development of a new origin of coffee located in the Brazilian region of the Tropic of Capricorn, through the establishment of special long-term relationships between all members of the coffee chain. The company initially founded in Jacarezinho - PR, expanded its operations to the State of São Paulo and currently has its headquarters in the city of Ourinhos.
Between 2018 and 2020, obtained the certification in the 3 levels of the Coffee Quality Institute Processing Program (Generalist – Professional – Expert), and nowadays is part of the Institution Instructors Team.
In 2020 he started a Specialization in Neuroscience and Behavior: “After all, the coffee chain is made up of people and, as fascinating as understanding the nuances present in each cup, is understanding the nuances of those behind them ...”.