In 1995, at the age of 23, the newly-graduated Computer Engineer Mário José Costa Jr., founded in the small city of Braúna, in the countryside of São Paulo, his first company that years later would become Grupo Costa Negócios. The solid family education received added to his innovation, the spirit of transferring values, and the growth and perpetuity philosophy, have made Costa Negócios to stand out in the Brazilian agribusiness, becoming one of the leading goods and services exporters to Africa in recent years. Over the 22 years of history, the innovation, growth and persistency have been the decisive milestones of Grupo Costa Negócios, which priority in its projects is the support to the local development, generation of social wealth, and the customers and partners satisfaction; only like this it was and will be possible to grow even more. “Persistence was the key element in our growth history” Mário José Costa Jr. Group Founder