Brazil bids farewell to the researcher known as the father of the Carioca bean.

The recent history of beans in Brazil is decisively intertwined with the work of researcher Luiz D'Artagnan de Almeida, who passed away on January 2nd. The agronomist's professional trajectory at the Agronomic Institute (IAC) is directly associated with the evaluation, validation, and dissemination of the carioca bean, a variety that became dominant in national consumption and transformed the grain market in the country.

D'Artagnan joined IAC in 1967, an institution linked to the Secretariat of Agriculture and Supply of the State of São Paulo, where he built his entire career until his retirement in 2002. He worked in the former Legumes Section, a strategic area during a period when public research sought to expand the supply of basic foods with greater productivity and consistent quality.

The turning point occurred in the 1960s. In 1966, agricultural engineer Waldimir Coronado Antunes, then head of the Agricultural Office of the Directorate of Integral Technical Assistance (CATI), sent a batch of striped-colored bean grains to the IAC, a variety that was then little known commercially. The material was submitted to technical evaluations conducted by D'Artagnan, along with researchers Shiro Miyasaka and Hermógenes Freitas Leitão Filho.

The analyses involved not only agronomic performance but also culinary characteristics, a differentiating factor for the time. The results indicated a material adapted to the growing conditions and with good acceptance for consumption, paving the way for its adoption on a wider scale.

In 1969, the carioca bean was officially launched, under the direct responsibility of D'Artagnan, and incorporated into CATI's basic seed production project. From that milestone, the variety quickly gained ground in the fields and in the consumer market.

In the 1970s, with the creation of the Bean Genetic Improvement Program, the variety consolidated its leadership. The carioca bean came to account for approximately 661% of national consumption, altering supply patterns, productivity, and consumer preference. This advancement had a direct impact on market organization, price stability, and food security, strengthening a central food in the Brazilian diet.

Due to his role in this process, Luiz D'Artagnan de Almeida became known among colleagues and producers as the "father of Carioquinha," a nickname that reflects the practical scope of his scientific contribution. Throughout his career, he received numerous honors for his work at IAC and for the legacy he left to agricultural research and food in Brazil.