CCRE honorees
about dona ivone
Dona Ivone Botone Baziollli is a coffee pioneer – a humble, hardworking woman whom for 65 years, worked at the Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC), the world’s oldest coffee research institute.
The time is now, for the coffee industry to recognize Dona Ivone for her incredible contributions. She is 88 years old and currently lives in Brazil.
The Instituto Agronômico de Campinas (IAC) was founded in 1887, in Campinas Brazil. Dona Ivone worked alongside notable researchers in the development of varietals that today make up 90% of coffee trees planted in Brazil. She worked alongside many agronomists, researchers, and staff and closely with Dr. Carvalho, the agronomist whose research is accredited for Brazil’s avoidance of the devastating coffee rust disease while neighboring countries continue to battle yet today. Dona Ivone worked with IAC agronomists in the development of cultivars such as Mundo Novo, Catuaí, Icatu, Obatã, and Tupi. She recalls all the preparation and countless police officers that showed up at the institute in 1968 when Queen Elizabeth II came for a visit.
Photo Credit: Phyllis Johnson
Photo Credit: Phyllis Johnson
Watch: “Dona Ivone, a Life Devoted to Brazilian Coffee”
“Dona Ivone was a leader filled with love and humility. She, herself is an institution, someone who could bridge the gap between the past and the present. Although retired since 2014, her level of dedication is hard to find in the current workplace.”
- Dr. Sergio Parreiras Pereira
Ironically, Dona Ivone is not one who enjoys the black brewed beverage so much and was always jokingly given a hard time by her colleagues for her preference for instant coffee with added sugar and cream. However, this didn’t stop her appreciation for the coffee plants.
“My favorite coffee tree is the yellow Icatu.”
She explains her love for the yellow Icatu’s color, beauty, high resistance and productivity, and high yielding characteristics for why it’s her favorite plant.
HUMBLE ROOTS
Dona Ivone attributes much of her success to her family. Her mother was Italian, her father was Black. Her illiterate mother worked in cotton; she recalls taking care of her baby brother on a cot in the cotton field as her mother worked the cotton plants. Dona Ivone was fortunate to complete primary school before starting work at the research institute. She first started out picking coffee cherries on the farms owned by the institute and ended up in the laboratory, responsible for assisting in scientific research that has been vital in the success of Brazil’s production and the demand for coffee consumers the world over.
She has two sons, both whom studied engineering and her three granddaughters, one – Jacqueline - who has chosen to pursue a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Campinas.
Jacqueline says of her grandmother,
“It is uncommon for a woman to be recognized in science even today, and more so for a Black woman to receive recognition.”
Photo Credit: Sérgio Parreiras Pereira
Photo Credit: Sérgio Parreiras Pereira
dona ivone SCHOLARSHIP
The CCRE is proud to announce that we are working to honor and recognize Dona Ivone’s contributions to the coffee industry. As the CCRE seeks to build a racially equitable industry where everyone’s talents are recognized and rewarded, it starts with the acknowledgement of contributions of incredible individuals like Dona Ivone.
The Dona Ivone scholarship will support students working in coffee research and coffee professionals who wish to advance their education.
Further details and application requirements will be released in October 2021, with fundraising for the scholarship to start in March, 2021.
Dona Baziolli is humbled that the CCRE is honoring her through a scholarship bearing her name for work that she enjoyed and gained respect due to her commitment and honesty.
“It’s not something I ever imagined, I only wanted to do more than what was expected of me.”
– Dona Ivone
Thank You, Dona Ivone
