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Years After Losing Farm With 50,000 Banana Trees And Trucks Due To Defaults In Brazil, The Former Banana Millionaire Arrives In 2011 In Florida With 28 Dollars, Becomes A Floor Installer, Moves To Massachusetts, Opens His Own Construction Store And Says He Lives Better, Without Wanting To Return To Brazil.
In 2011, after a series of defaults that took down a farm with about 50,000 banana trees and a fleet of trucks in Santa Catarina and Paraná, former banana millionaire Valdemir boarded a flight to the United States with only 28 dollars in his pocket and a ticket funded by a pastor friend, determined to start over away from Brazilian instability.
Between 2011 and 2017, he passed through Florida, learned how to install ceramic tiles in school construction projects, moved to Massachusetts in search of a milder climate and larger contracts, and after assembling his own installation teams, opened a construction supply store along Route 20 in Marlborough, where he now claims to have more security, predictable income, and quality of life than at the height of his wealth with bananas in Brazil.
From The Height In Corupá To The Collapse Of Fortune With Bananas
Valdemir was born in Corupá, in northern Santa Catarina, a region known as the banana capital of Santa Catarina, in a family of German descent where the household language was not Portuguese.
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He only discovered in school, at age 7, that Brazil spoke Portuguese, after growing up speaking only German with his parents and grandparents.
In adulthood, he built the image of a former banana millionaire with a farm of about 50,000 banana trees and a fleet of five to six trucks that crossed Brazil and also served customers in Argentina.
The trucks would leave loaded from Corupá and the Jaraguá do Sul region towards supply centers, such as the Ceasa in Curitiba, where he maintained a wholesale sales booth.
The business model was based on long terms and trust. Checks for 60 and 90 days were common, and many buyers did not pay as agreed.
Successive defaults, including for loads sent to Argentina, eroded his assets, inventory, and working capital, until the pile of bounced checks became larger than his collection capacity.
Move To Curitiba And Giving Up On São Paulo After Armed Robbery
Before becoming a former banana millionaire, Valdemir tried to reorganize his life in Curitiba, a city he had known since he was 18 by circulating in the Ceasa.
In 2007, around the age of 34, he left Corupá and settled in the capital of Paraná, keeping his focus on the banana trade and expanding contacts within the supply chain.
With a background in theology and serving as vice-president of an Assembly of God church in his hometown, he even planned a bookstore and a permanent move to São Paulo.
The plan was abandoned after, while trying to rent a commercial space in São Paulo, he was held up at a gas station, had a gun pointed at his head, and saw his money, watch, ring, and Citroën Picasso car taken away.
The incident marked his decision not to expose his family to an environment he considered unsafe.
According to him, the accumulated financial losses from defaults and urban violence reinforced the perception that the former banana millionaire phase in Brazil had reached its limit.
The Escape With 28 Dollars And The Start As A Floor Installer In Florida
The next step was to plan a season in the United States, initially intended for his two children to spend a year learning English before an eventual move to Europe.
However, the financial crisis left the family without resources to pay for the move.
The solution came when a pastor friend in São Paulo paid for Valdemir’s ticket, allowing him to leave Brazil for Florida with only 28 dollars.
Upon arriving in Miami, an acquaintance picked him up at the airport and took him home. The very next day, the former banana millionaire was on a construction site, working as a floor installer’s assistant.
In three days, he went from helper to being responsible for installing tile in a school with over 70 bathrooms.
He admits that he had never worked in construction, but decided to learn by observing every movement of his colleague and accepting any task, including cleaning bathrooms at night, to manage to establish himself.
From Florida To The Cold Of Massachusetts And The Leap In Works
Even with guaranteed work, Valdemir did not adapt to the intense heat of Florida, which he describes as “hellish” for someone coming from the milder climate of Santa Catarina.
An invitation from a friend who worked at a flooring company in Massachusetts opened the door to a new test, this time in the northern United States.
He traveled alone to take a test at a job site in Cape Cod, and upon finishing the first bathroom, the contractor told him he would be hired as if he had 20 years of experience, even though he had been in the role for just over a year.
After renting a house, he brought his wife and two children to the new state.
The move from Florida to Massachusetts was done in a convoy, taking about 26 hours on the road, with him driving a moving truck and his wife in a van right behind.
From Former Banana Millionaire To Flooring Installation Businessman
Already in Massachusetts, the work of the former banana millionaire scaled up.
He structured a flooring installation company with about five vans and several teams, each composed of an installer and an assistant, serving larger residential projects.
One of the milestones was the contract to install flooring in 52 houses in a condominium in Norwood, signed with a Jewish-born developer who became a long-term partner.
For this type of project, the model became integrated: the same group that installed the flooring also provided the materials.
From then on, Valdemir’s professional routine shifted from merely being a construction worker to resembling that of a businessman specialized in finishes.
He himself says that at times he was putting in 100 to 110 hours of work per week, well above the standard 40-hour workweek, to make the most of demand and solidify the new company.
The Turning Point Of 2017: Construction Store In Marlborough
The definitive profile change occurred in 2017, when the former banana millionaire decided to open a construction supply store on Route 20 in Marlborough, a city near Boston.
Initially, the space was smaller and primarily focused on flooring and coverings; over time, the store expanded to a larger address, showcasing hundreds of collections.
Today, the business offers flooring, ceramics, and solutions related to bathrooms and kitchens, serving both residential customers and construction companies that send buyers to choose finishes for homes under construction.
Valdemir’s son works as a general contractor, while he prefers to circulate among job sites, clients, and suppliers, rather than staying behind the counter.
He admits that he still speaks little English but understands enough to manage teams and negotiate with partners, supported by bilingual employees and the experience accumulated in practice.
Legal Security, Heavy Routine And Zero Desire To Return
One of the points that the former banana millionaire emphasizes most when comparing Brazil and the United States is legal and contractual security.
He highlights that, under the American model, there is no credit sale at scale, suppliers meet deadlines, paid materials are delivered, and the rules are clear for both employers and employees, contrasting with the defaults that caused his collapse in the banana market in Brazil.
From a personal perspective, he claims that the sense of security weighs more than the absence of vacations, thirteenth salaries, or extended holidays.
He says he can come home and sleep peacefully, without fear of robbery, and that this compensates for the intense work routine.
With two adult children, a newborn granddaughter, and the entire family settled in the United States, he declares that he has no desire to live in Brazil again, only occasionally visiting.
Considering the journey of someone who went from the status of former banana millionaire in Brazil to rebuild his life as a flooring installer and businessman in the United States, in your opinion, does the security and predictability abroad justify giving up the desire to return to live in Brazil, or is the personal cost of this choice still too high?
Espera ficar mais velho ou sem condições de trabalhar e veja como será tratado nos EUA…
Até onde eu sei pra entrar lá você tem que provar que tem um valor mínimo para estadia. 28 dólares não parece ser o suficiente. Acho que essa matéria é fake.
A melhor coisa que ele fez , no nosso país não temos nada , não temos educação, saúde e nem segurança
Estou tranquilo no Brasil, funcionário público perto da aposentadoria.