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May  2003

A talk for food handlers

Another important event was held by Fazenda Tamanduá on April 2, 2003, with a view to enhancing the qualifications and improving the understanding of the employees responsible for handling food products (fresh and dehydrated fruit, milk and dairy products sectors).

Mr. Petronio Souto Gouveia, from the Patos Sanitary Inspection Service (ANGEVISA - PATOS), thanks to his knowledge of the Food Industry, gave the participants a talk entitled “GOOD PRACTICES FOR FOOD HANDLERS”. We could not omit to mention the presence of Mr. Fernando Catão (the State of Paraíba Planning Secretary) and Mr. Hipólito Gomes Militão (Assistant Secretary for Infrastructure) at the opening session of the course. The objective was to give clearer guidance and to eliminate doubts relating to care in food preparation, from the receipt of the raw material through to the final product. 

The talk underlined the importance of each stage in the processes and their critical aspects; the possible types of contamination; adequate methods for cleaning and disinfecting utensils, equipment and installations; the proper use of equipment, clothing, accessories and EPIs, as well as personal hygiene.We are thus taking further steps to ensure the quality of our products and to achieve greater efficacy in fulfilling the norms established by the legislation in force.

Célia and Silvana take the SEBRAE Professional Development Course

Efficient and discreet, Célia and Silvana have the important tasks of keeping the books and organizing the day-to-day routine at Fazenda Tamanduá, filling in the endless IBD forms, as well as keeping contact with the rest of the world by telephone, mail and e-mail. They know everything about our life! They are our heart and shop-window!

In keeping with our policy regarding the education and training of our workers, they recently took part in a professional development course for secretaries, given by SEBRAE (the small entrepreneurs’ support service) in order to “develop skills so as to perform their tasks better”.

In two days of intense work, with a full program covering themes such as time structuring, secretarial techniques, scheduling, attending the public, etiquette, communication and professional ethics or inter-personal relations, they had the chance to review many aspects and  to perfect their knowledge of others. They were also able to exchange ideas and experiences with the other participants, colleagues and friends.  

The smile in the photo reflects the success of the event and their wish to take part in other courses to come !

Célia, the daughter of Fernando Rocha, who has worked with us since 1977, started working as a secretary in 1989; and Silvana, the daughter of Afonso, a tractor driver (the house in which he was born became our cultural center), in 1999. Everyone is family! Thank you for your daily support and efforts!

Participation in several events, or How to Spread Knowledge of Organic Farming?

The great challenge to certified organic producers is to access not only the international market but also the domestic market, in which there is a great deal of confusion between natural or ecological products and organic products.The lack of information on the part of the consumer is really surprising, and, lacking guidance, he finally gives up buying organic products.

Pierre Landolt was invited to take part in the Seventh Rotary Inter-club Information Meeting by the Patos Norte Rotary Club, District 4500, in order to give an address on “Organic Farming”. After the presentation, for which he used only photos taken at Fazenda Tamandua, the participation of the 255 people present was impressive. Question after question showed how keen the public is to learn about our goals and philosophy, and the general enthusiasm proved how important this kind of event is in spreading knowledge of our farming methods.

On April 10, Pierre Landolt gave a talk in Fortaleza on “Biodynamic Handling of Mango Trees in the Semi-arid Region of the North-East”, during the great event “Irrigation for Ceará”. This panel’s audience, comprising over 150 people, was able to understand that organic fruit growing is a reality, and that the international organic market still offers  opportunities and is not yet saturated, contrary to the case of conventional mangoes.