Carnaúba do Brasil Ltda. was established in 2004 as a carnauba wax manufacturing plant. The founders, Gerardo Azevedo and Dedé Tibúrcio, have extensive experience in the carnauba industry. Gerardo Azevedo was a Managing Director of an industry in this field from 1976 to 1995, and was also a shareholder of a trading company specializing in the trade of natural products, with carnauba wax being one of its major accounts. Dedé Tibúrcio has worked as a production manager for several wax processing industries in recent years.
The plant is located in Itarema, in the northern zone of Ceará, near the border with Piauí, an area known for its carnauba wax production. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and a highly skilled workforce, allowing the company to provide customers in Brazil and three other continents with high-quality products.
During the harvest season from July to February, the green leaves of carnauba palms are collected by native workers using long sticks with cutting knives attached. The collected leaves are then spread out on the ground to dry, and the resulting powder is removed through an ancient beating process. The powder is then melted and squeezed in a wooden claw, and the crude wax is cooled in flat tanks and broken into "lumps" with colors ranging from light yellow to dark brown.
The final manufacturing process involves melting the carnauba wax on tanks and then undergoing processes that include filtration, bleaching, and packing to ensure quality and purity of the grades offered. Carnauba wax is used in various products, including cosmetics, food packaging, varnishes, plastic, photographic films, and general polishers for furniture, floors, leather, automobiles, and fruits. It is also used in the chemical composition of some medicines, as well as in inks, products for drawing, and carbon paper, making it an essential product in the Brazilian Northeast
