Vanusia Nogueira is now the first woman to lead the International Coffee Organization (ICO). The decision was made by the organization’s member countries on February 9 and 10, 2022. Nogueira will replace José Dauster Sette, who is also Brazilian and had held the position since 2017.
The ICO is the main intergovernmental body for the sector and gathers governments from exporting and importing nations to address the challenges faced by the global coffee industry through international cooperation. Its member countries account for 98% of the world’s coffee production and 67% of the world’s consumption.
“It was an honor seeing the work being acknowledged and having my nomination endorsed, both by the private sector and Brazilian government entities. I am aware of the great challenge that I take on starting today, which is to lead the restructuring and modernization of the ICO,” she said in a statement.
According to Nogueira, conducting the ICO will also involve a new direction for the entire global coffee industry: “We will work on priority issues, such as a high income and well-being, to cover costs and enable producers to make a decent living; increase market transparency; propose and implement global financing policies and mechanisms; and focus on sustainable production and supply, as well as on responsible consumption.”
Experience
The new ICO executive director was the director of the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA) for 15 years. During this time, Nogueira was responsible for promoting Brazilian coffees in the country and abroad, highlighting the quality and sustainability of its production. This work has contributed to the opening of new markets for Brazilian coffee.
In addition to her significant role in BSCA, she has also taken part in several relevant international forums, such as the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), the World Coffee Producers Forum (WCPF), the Rainforest Alliance, and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), among others.
In 2008, Nogueira led the implementation of the program “Brazil, the Coffee Nation,” in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil). The project focused on Brazilian commercial promotion in foreign markets.
Vanusia Nogueira is the daughter and granddaughter of coffee producers and traders. She holds a Ph.D. in Administration, with an emphasis on Marketing, from the National University of Rosário (Argentina). She graduated in Information Technology (IT) and Management at the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro (PUC-RJ) and holds a master’s degree in Management and Advanced Project Management from Fundalção Getulio Vargas (FGV), in addition to various international specialization courses in Finance, Relationship Management (CRM), and IT, among others, completed in the United States, Germany, and Brazil.
One out of every three cups of coffee consumed in the world is Brazilian. Learn more about Brazilian coffee on the links below:
Coffee | Brazilian Farmers
How specialty coffees transform lives in Brazil | Brazilian Farmers