The International Coffee Organization (ICO) has announced that Vanusia Nogueira has been elected the new Executive Director of the organisation, following a vote by member countries during the 131st Session of the International Coffee Council.
The organisation says Nogueira’s candidacy was strongly backed and supported by Brazil’s public and private sectors as well as diplomatic circles following decades of work in the coffee sector locally and abroad.
This includes her key role as director of the Brazil Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA) and important contributions to and participation in various international forums, such as those organised by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), the World Coffee Producers Forum (WCPF), Rainforest Alliance, Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), to name a few.
“It was an honour to see my work getting recognition and to have my candidacy endorsed, not only by the private sector but also by Brazilian government,” says Nogueira.
“I am aware of the great challenge I am taking on today, which is to lead the restructuring and modernisation of the ICO.”
According to Nogueira, the leadership of the main world coffee body will also involve the presentation of a new direction for the entire global coffee industry.
She believes the expertise acquired in her personal and professional life with coffee, mainly in the more than two decades of dealing with specialty coffees, will be fundamental.
“We will seek sector coordination to work on priority issues such as prosperous incomes and well-being to cover costs and enable a decent life for producers, expand market transparency, propose and implement global policies and financing mechanisms, and generate focus on sustainable production and supply as well as responsible consumption,” she says.
For 15 years as director of BSCA, Nogueira has promoted Brazilian coffee locally and internationally, highlighted the quality and sustainability of its production, contributed to the consolidation of Brazilian coffee with traditional partners and helped open new markets by underscoring the diversity and excellence of Brazil’s vast range of beans.
Nogueira, who hails from a family of coffee growers, also led the implementation of ‘Brazil. The Coffee Nation’ in 2008.
The project promotes Brazilian coffee worldwide in partnership with the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency, focusing on the commercial promotion of Brazilian coffee in the foreign market.
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