In 1953, when he was
19 years old, Ivens started working with his father Manuel, a Portuguese
immigrant. In less than three decades, he turned Padaria Fortaleza (Fortaleza
Bakery) into one of the largest industrial groups in Latin America in the
cookies and pasta industry. He also owns hotels, a cement factory, a
construction company, and a grain transportation port in Bahia. However, his
most special feature is actually his character and the singular way he relates
to people. Sergio Vilas-Boas conducted 80 interviews to compose this profile,
shedding light on the causes and consequences of the positive unanimity of this
discrete and methodical gentleman who, with dedication and perspicacity,
immensely contributed to the socioeconomic progress of Brazil’s Northeast
region.