First photo: Gelci Zancanaro in the 80’s when he 1st explored the Cerrado Goiano region growing grains. Second photo: Gelci Zancanaro and his mother Mrs. Dileta Tesser, - dearly called “Nona” by its grandkids – on the farm’s 1st central irrigation pivot.
First photo: Antônio and Elmira, Maria Eraide Zancanaro’s parents with the grandkids, Milton Cesar, Cimara, Diloé and Cristiane, along with cousins Antônio Carlos Zandoná and Sandra Mara Zandoná. Second photo: Gelci Zancanaro and his wife Maria Eraide Zancanaro in 2006.
Gelci Zancanaro and his 5 children, Milton Cesar, Cimara, Diloé, Cristiane and Denise.
First photo: Agronomist Milton Cesar, Mr. Gelci’s oldest son, with some of his nephews (8) and his son on the farm sharing some very important information about their passion: the earth! Second photo: Gelci Zancanaro with his wife in 2014 celebrating his 71st birthday along with some of his grandkids.
Gelci Zancanaro and Maria Eraide, with their 5 sons, Milton Cesar, Cimara, Diloé, Cristiane, Denise, his daughter in law Ana Paula, his sons in law Luiz Henrique, Celso Luiz, Daniel Bruno and Pedro, and his 15 grandkids Luiz Eduardo, João Pedro, Mariela, Thaís, Ana Rafaella, Luca, Pedro Henrique, Giovanna, Mariah, Henrique, Bruno, Maria Beatriz, Theo, Felipe and Maria Isabela.
Zancanaro family is a pioneer at coffee growing in the Cerrado Goiano region. Willing to make it happen, Mr. Gelci Zancanaro, is a visionary who has placed trust on Fazenda Nossa Senhora de Fátima, to cultivate grains in Cristalina city, state of Goiás. In 1985, the family has moved from the south of Brazil to Brasilia – close to Goiás – to put down roots and start the family agribusiness.
Mr. Gelci Zancanaro is an italian imigrant descendant, born in a family of small farmers in the South of Brazil. During the 80’s Mr. Gelci, together with his wife and 5 children found in Goiás state the ideal place to start his own rural business. “Family is the most important good someone can ever have” – says Mr. Gelci.
Moving to Brasilia was also going to to give better education opportunities to his children, and in 1983, Mr. Gelci bought Fazenda Nossa Senhora de Fátima, a farm deeply emotionally connected with the family. It is kindly called “Fazendinha” – Little Farm – by the whole family.
Until this day, the business is 100% family owned and managed. It keeps the same goal as when it started: “to feed life, through what earth gives us”.
Throughout time and with the courage and experience to innovate, the family has started to invest in coffee growing, developing great pride in it. Along with this new business, the micro roastery Famiglia Zancanaro was established.
Women power behind coffee
Cristiane Zancanaro Simões is one of the main players responsible for the constant growth of the coffee business in the Family. She was born in 1977, and during her childhood was always at the farm with her parents. She graduated as a lawyer at UniCeub and worked for 2 years at a firm. Soon, she realized that what she really loved was to take care of their land. Therefore, she went back to work with the Family in 2002.
After stepping up to manage the family’s coffee business, in 2014, she implemented a more detailed post harvesting process at the fam. This procedure resulted on the fam being awarded 1st place at the Ernesto Illy Regional Award for Espresso Coffee Quality. After this, many other investments were made, always aiming the business growth.
Cristiane, is a member of the IWCA – International Women in Coffee Aliance in Brazil, and has also taken barista and sensorial analisys courses to better understand the product she had in her hands. In 2018, she started the company’s micro roastery “Famiglia Zancanaro” and made the 1st direct green coffee export from Goiás state.
Cristiane Zancanaro
Coffee and Science
Coffee is always present on Zancanaro’s family lives
During their daily routine, work or studies! Mr. Gelci’s sons and grandkids are an active part of the business management. Mr. Gelci’s grandson Luiz Eduardo, who is an agronomist, has been researching coffee crop phosphate fertilization strategies as part of his doctoral training.
To check the research,Click here