The people who are building Mazô Maná

A company like Mazô Maná, with a purpose as complete as nourishing the world with the wisdom and diversity of the Amazon Rainforest, needs a very complementary team to get off the ground. Our founders and key leaders combine visions about the challenges of the Forest and the paths to building a successful company. Marcelo Salazar and Raimunda Rodrigues, for example, have years of experience leading projects in the Terra do Meio region. Zé Porto and Airam Correa, on the other hand, are entrepreneurs and market executives.

Discover how Mazô Maná works to nourish the world and conserve the Amazon Rainforest

Together with the rest of the team and Mazô's network of advisors , they have been working to create a business model that combines an attractive, quality product with the delivery of concrete results for the people of the forest, in a real alternative to practices that are harmful to the biome, such as deforestation and monoculture.

In this post, we provide a little insight into the profile of Mazô Maná’s advisors.

The founders and leaders of Mazô Maná

Raimunda Rodrigues

Raimunda Rodrigues is a riverside dweller and founder of Mazô Maná. A resident of the Rio Novo community, in the Rio Iriri Extractive Reserve, she is the daughter of Agnaldo and Dona Chagas, a couple of community leaders with a history of fighting to improve the quality of life of the region's residents and to preserve the forest.

Among the family's achievements is the creation of the mini-plant in the Rio Novo community, the first mini-plant for processing non-timber forest products in the region. Raimunda has been the manager of the mini-plant since 2015.

At Mazô Maná, Raimunda's mission is to ensure that the company always remains directly connected with the territory, bringing the perspectives of traditional populations to all areas of business activity.

Marcelo Salazar

Marcelo Salazar is the founder and co-CEO of Mazô Maná. For 14 years, he coordinated the office of the Instituto Socioambiental (ISA) in Terra do Meio and was an active voice in important issues for the Amazon, such as the implementation of Conservation Units, the fight against the construction of Belo Monte and the creation of the Rede Terra do Meio, a productive arrangement composed of 7 Indigenous Lands and 3 Extractive Reserves, totaling 3,200 people directly impacted and more than 9 million hectares covered.

Graduated in Chemical Production Engineering from UFSCar, it was during his college days that he participated in the first projects in the Amazon region, with the Support Center for the Amazon Riverside Population (NAPRA). He has lived in Altamira since 2006.

Joe Porto

Zé Porto is the co-CEO of Mazô Maná. Previously, he has over 20 years of experience in marketing and advertising. For 7 years, he served as the brand marketing and creative services leader for Google in Latin America, where he was responsible for overseeing an annual media budget of over $80 million and a team of 30 people.

Previously, he participated in campaigns and projects for renowned brands, such as Nike, Ab-Inbev and Honda, accumulating extensive experience in branding, consumer insights, integrated marketing and growth, in addition to having supported several diversity and inclusion programs in the companies where he worked.

Airam Correa

Airam Corrêa is the founder of Mazô Maná. He has a degree in economics from IBMEC and has worked in several markets, including Brazil, the United States, Europe and China.

A serial entrepreneur, he has created three companies and has been selected for programs at prestigious platforms such as Y Combinator, Singularity University, Wharton, NASDAQ and SXSW. With a focus on innovation in the financial sector, he collaborates with the management and fundraising for Mazô Maná.