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Finally,
the long awaited competition for “The Most Beautiful Voice”
took place at Fazenda Tamanduá. The serenader Zé Carlos opened
the event, with romantic music. |
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The
singers that were well prepared and talented! |
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There were plenty
of soft drinks, beer and barbecued meat, under the
responsibility of Jorge Boêmio; but what everyone anxiously
waited for was the beginning of the contest itself, which
finally started, conducted by the master of ceremonies, Alan.
There
were 10 candidates: Abraão, Pedro Alcione, Nego Tim, Roberto,
Neto, Ricardo, Alison, and only three ladies, Guia and the duo
Rafaela and Luana.
The
songs chosen were xotes, marches and baião,
accompanied by the Tamanduá Trio. Luana and Rafaela sang a song
specially composed for the event. The big surprise was that,
rather than the expected beginners, the singers that came
forward were well prepared and talented!
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Thanks
to the patience of Hamilton and Rubens of the Tamanduá Trio,
each of them had had the opportunity to train and rehearse
beforehand, thus being well prepared and ready to face the stage
and the public.
The
audience, full of enthusiasm and good spirits, cheered and
shouted, supporting friends and colleagues with their applause,
and trying to impress the jury - who very soon showed themselves
unable to judge. The final award was defined by the strength of
the applause, in an atmosphere of general good cheer!
Guia
and Neto were the great winners of the night, with the songs “Eu
já vi tudo” (“I’ve seen it all”) by Flávio José,
and “Cercado de mulheres” (“Surrounded by women”)
by the group Aviões do Forró.
There
was no lack of cups, they all took one home, a good souvenir of
this memorable event.
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The
audience cheering
with
their applause |
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Pierre Landolt giving a
cup to one
of the beautiful voices of the night |
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The
forró (dance) then dominated the night, but stopped at
midnight, as there was work to be done the next day, leaving the
participants and the public with a feeling of “I’d like some
more”!
For
sure, due to the success of this first edition, the contest next
year will have more participants!
We
took this opportunity to officially inaugurate the
recently-built block – comprising three different levels, with
a kitchen, showers and toilets – which serves as a support
structure for all the workers in the mango plantation area, and
can also be used for training (as was the case for the fire
prevention course) and to provide a space for visitors or for
field days.
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Fazenda Tamanduá at
Bio Brazil Fair |
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On
May 7 to 10, Fazenda Tamanduá took part in the most recent
organic and natural products fair in Brazil, the Bio Brazil Fair
and Natural Tech.
The
Fair, installed in the Bienal Pavillion, in Ibirapuera
Park, right in the center of São Paulo, was very sucessful for
its first edition, and was visited by more than 15,000 people.
It was divided into two distinct areas, one for organics
(meaning certified products) and another for natural products.
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Lourdes
and Jean-Pierre talking to consumers interested
on Fazenda Tamanduá products |
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As
it was open to the public, who visit the Park on these sunny
days, it was an opportunity to establish a direct dialog
between producers and consumers, clearing up doubts,
answering questions about the products, and giving
information about points of sale. All
the exhibitors, who were mostly Brazilian and came from all
the States in the country, certainly opened new doors to the
national market, which was strengthened by this event.
Thanks
to Lourdes’ and Jean-Pierre’s efforts, the tasting
session for FT’s dehydrated mangos and cheeses was a great
success, causing a traffic jam in front of our booth!
The
fact that one could sell products on the spot enabled us to
dilute our expenses related to participation costs. We also
met our clients from the State of São Paulo
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Fazenda
Tamanduá took advantage of this event to present, and to
seek distributors for, its latest product, spirulina (www.fazendatamandua.com.br/eng-jt-feb05.htm),
which has 1001 uses and beneficial effects for human health.
We
also made contact with potential buyers of organic oil
extracted from the kernels of mango stones, which is used
for cosmetics, as well as organic pectin extracted from the
mango skins, for the sweets and jams industry. We have, in
fact, succeeded in finding ways to extract these products
with efficient, low-cost methods, which can be applied to
small quantities of raw material. We shall discuss this
subject at greater length in the future. |
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The
spirulina presented to the director
of a fitoterapy laboratory |
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Thanks
to our friend Fábio Levi, who is responsible for the organic
products area at Carrefour, we learnt of their decision to
include a complete range of organic products in their
supermarkets in the cities of Recife, João Pessoa and
Fortaleza! We were very encouraged by the news, and shall do
everything necessary for our products to be more widely offered
to our fellow countrymen. Just wait and see!
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The
Tractor Drivers' Turn |
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Another
step in capacity building and training at Fazenda Tamanduá, this time
for tractor drivers.Twelve
of the farm’s workers, both permanent and occasional tractor drivers,
in the presence of Roberto, the mechanic, had the opportunity to take a
course given by Professor Alcides Almeida Ferreira.
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Professor Alcides Almeida Ferreira |
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A
Professor at the State of Paraíba University Campus IV at
Catolé do Rocha, he has been giving classes for the
National Agricultural Training Service (SENAR). With the
help of films, slides shown by an overhead projector and a
lot of literature, the class started 3 long days of training
with very tough and comprehensive theory.
The
operation and maintenance of the farm machinery and
implements was thoroughly dealt with.
On
the fourth and last day, each one showed what he had learnt,
handling the plow, disc harrow, planting machine, sprayer,
forage cutter and other implements used to prepare the soil
for sowing, and to accompany the growth of the crop to
maturity.
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Likewise,
they each showed they had learnt all the secrets of daily,
weekly and monthly preventive maintenance of the tractors and
implements used on the farm.
Alcides’
work was initially expected to take three days, but he stayed on
for another day, as “I noticed the participants’ interest,
effort and willingness to learn. That is very gratifying!”, he
said.
As
for the students, “Wow, what a great course!” was how they
expressed their opinion!
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The
students of the course and Prof. Alcides
Almeida Ferreira |
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No
doubt this comprehensive, high-standard course will allow us to take
greater care of our machines, ensuring they will last long, their
operators will work more safely, and the land will be worked more
efficiently. |
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