In 1872, in the city of Taboleiro Grande, interior of the state of Minas Gerais, the brothers Bernardo, Caetano and Antônio Cândido Mascarenhas gave the first big step in the history of Brazilian industry. In a predominantly agrarian scenario, still making use of slave labour in the country, the Mascarenhas brothers saw the opportunity in an unknown sector to all at the time. Visionaries in the middle of the XIX century, they realized that investing in textile manufacture for domestic consumption was a great opportunity for the development of an industrial activity in the country.

Therefore, on 12 th August 1872, the first private open capital company in the country was born. Older than the invention of the electric light bulb, Companhia Fiação e Tecidos Cedro e Cachoeira was a pioneer in the industrialization of Brazil and is proud of being one of the few companies in the world with over 130 years of uninterrupted existence.