PIUMHI, Minas Gerais, Brazil – During a ceremony held yesterday at the Piumhi Aldermen Chamber, Massimo Zanetti, CEO and founder of the Group Massimo Zanetti Beverage, was named an honorary citizen of Piumhi, in the Minas Gerais state of Brazil.
The reasons behind this award are many and regard the deep bond between the entrepreneur and the Brazilian region. Over the years, Massimo Zanetti has shown a strong interest in promoting the development of the coffee market in Brazil by making important investments in the territory and creating a high number of job opportunities.
In 1985 Mr. Zanetti founded the Cofiroaster do Brasil in Santos city and was involved in the renovation of the Santos Coffee Exchange building, which later became a museum.
In 1995 he took over an arable area, that was expanded over time and became the largest single body coffee plantation in the world, wide 2000 hectares. Meanwhile, Mr. Zanetti built the Nossa Senhora da Guia (NSG) establishment at Piumhi, specialized in coffee production. Nowadays, NSG is one of the largest exporters of Brazilian coffee and obtained the Rainforest Alliance and the UTZ certifications.
In 1998, he acquired the Company Segafredo Zanetti Brazil, based in Belo Horizonte. In 2003, received the Cecafè prize as coffee entrepreneur in Brazil.
In 2007, together with his daughter Laura and his son Matteo, founded the Zanetti Foundation, an ONLUS that helps children in need by supporting and promoting domestic and international projects aimed at providing school education, food and health assistance, sheltering and psychological support. Since 2007, the Zanetti Foundation has supported 140 projects, some of which in South American countries: Brazil, Honduras, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador and Colombia.
This project, in addition to the main charitable purposes, symbolizes the promise that Mr Zanetti made to Ayrton Senna, to help the “ninos de rua” who suffer in Brazil. The Foundation contributed to helping a reception centre for minors located in a Favela of Rio de Janeiro and to building a new school, that is nowadays a point of reference for many children in need.
