This past Christmas, I had the opportunity to experience something truly special: my first Christmas in Brazil. What began as a business trip quickly became something much deeper and more meaningful. I was welcomed into the home and family of my friends, Lorenzo Roos and Amanda Maroso, and invited to spend the holidays in Paraná with Amanda’s family. From the moment I arrived, I felt accepted, included, and treated not as a guest, but as part of their family. That feeling is something I will carry with me for a long time.
There is something powerful about being welcomed into another culture, especially when there is a language barrier. Yet even with different languages, the message was clear: kindness, hospitality, and respect need no translation. With the help of technology and a lot of patience and laughter, we communicated, connected, and built relationships that went beyond business. It reminded me that our work at Thunderstruck is, at its core, about people. Products may open doors, but relationships are what truly build companies.
Brazil has become one of the most important markets in the future of Thunderstruck. But more than that, Brazil has become an important part of my personal journey. Spending Christmas there was a deliberate choice. I wanted our team in Brazil to know how seriously we take this market and how deeply we believe in what we are building together. I also wanted our team back in Canada and the United States to see that this is not a side project or a short-term experiment. This is a long-term commitment, and I was willing to be away from home during the holidays to prove it.
The timing could not have been better. During this trip, we visited farms, met with producers, and saw firsthand the performance of our products in Brazilian conditions. The results we witnessed on the farms were incredibly encouraging. Farmers were seeing improvements in efficiency, better harvesting performance, and real value from the technology we are bringing to market. These were not controlled tests or marketing demonstrations. These were real-world results on working farms, and they reinforced that our products are solving real problems.
We also had the opportunity to take part in an event that brought together farmers, partners, and industry professionals. The response was overwhelming. The level of interest, the quality of the questions, and the openness to new technology confirmed that Brazilian farmers are hungry for innovation and eager to work with companies that show up, listen, and support them. That response alone validated the investment of time, capital, and energy we have put into building our presence in Brazil.
What made the experience even more meaningful was knowing that our Brazilian team was watching. They saw that I was willing to spend Christmas with them, in their country, in their culture. They saw that this wasn’t just business on a spreadsheet. It was about partnership, loyalty, and shared belief in the future. At the same time, I wanted our Canadian team to understand that our global expansion is built on real relationships and real sacrifices, not just strategy documents.
This Christmas in Brazil was a reminder that leadership is not only about direction, but about presence. Sometimes the strongest message you can send is simply showing up. By choosing to be in Brazil during such an important time of year, I was saying clearly: our people matter, our mission matters, and this market matters.
As I return home energized and motivated, I do so with absolute confidence that the investment in Brazil is worth it. The relationships are strong, the results are real, and the opportunity is massive. More than anything, this trip reaffirmed that Thunderstruck is not just building products—we are building a global family, one relationship at a time.