Among the mountains of Mantiqueira, in the municipality of Maria da Fé, in Minas Gerais, the Oficina Gente de Fibra was born. This is a collective that for more than two decades has been transforming what nature offers into art, income and belonging. Since its inception, in 1998, the group has shown that handicrafts can be a powerful tool for local development, uniting traditional knowledge, innovation and commitment to the environment.
Long before there was talk of circular economy, the artisans of Gente de Fibra were already reusing what the earth left: the fiber of the banana tree trunk and discarded cardboard. From these materials, which symbolize resistance and rebirth, pieces full of identity were born, revealing a community that has always understood the value of producing in a conscious, sustainable and connected way to its territory.
Now, by closing the project “Oficina Gente de Fibra – Cocreating the Future“, carried out between 2024 and 2025 with the support of SEBRAE Minas and a partnership with the Municipality of Maria da Fé, the group celebrates the closing of a cycle of strengthening and learning that reaffirms its importance in the scenario of Brazilian sustainable handicrafts.
Repositioning the present to weave the future
The project represented a turning point for the cooperative. Through collaborative work, the group revisited its trajectory, redefined strategies, and built a more solid vision of the future aligned with its purpose. The process involved strengthening governance, improving management and strategically repositioning the brand, paving the way for new opportunities and markets.
From this journey was born the Origin Collection, inspired by the mountains of Maria da Fé, by the conversations by the wood stove and by the faith that gives the municipality its name. Each piece translates the essence of the territory, uniting memory, sustainability and innovation. More than a new portfolio, the collection symbolizes the rebirth of an artisanal identity that remains alive and current.
With the new brand, the catalog and the expansion of its digital presence, Gente de Fibra has been institutionally strengthened, expanding engagement, commercial partners and business revenues — results that show the power of a group that continues to evolve without losing the link with its origins.
A closure that is also a new beginning
The end of the project marks the end of a stage, but also the beginning of a new phase of growth. The cooperative leaves more prepared, confident and connected with the transformations of the sector, without giving up what has always guided it: respect for nature, collective work and pride in doing things that translate the spirit of the region
In Maria da Fé, the fiber that sustains handicrafts is also the fiber that moves people — the strength of those who create with purpose, keeping alive the art of transforming time, matter and history into the future.
Watch the video below (in Portuguese) and learn more about this inspiring trajectory that reaffirms the power of handicraft as a path to sustainable development and connection.
