Luiz Roberto Saldanha Rodrigues is the owner of Fazenda California and co-founder and Director of Capricornio Coffees and Synapses Coffee Education. A leading coffee professional in Brazil, Luiz is an agronomic engineer with an MBA in Production Management and is currently a member of the Biotechnology research program at the Federal Technical University of Paraná.
He is a certified Q-Grader, a Q-Processing Level 3 Expert, a Q Processing Instructor, and a National and International Judge for the Cup of Excellence Program (COE). His journey with specialty coffees began in 2004, with the implementation of a sustainable management system in the centenary Fazenda Califórnia. His work and leadership played a crucial role in the development of the specialty coffee chain in Paraná State, mainly focused on small farmers and familiar agriculture, leading to the Geographical Indication of Origin recognition for the Norte Pioneiro do Paraná region in 2012 while serving as President of the Specialty Coffees Association of Norte Pioneiro do Paraná (ACENPP).
Luiz has also contributed to the coffee sector through roles on the Technical Committee on Coffee Sector of the Federation of Agriculture of Paraná (FAEP) and currently serves on the boards of the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA) and the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA). As an educator, has taught about farming and post-harvest best practices in different countries like Brazil, Costa Rica, Colombia, Australia, and South Korea.