It was under the watchful eyes of the founder Benedito Moreira Curimbaba and his older son Sebastião Curimbaba in the 40s , that the Curimbaba Group took its first steps in the city of Poços de Caldas , Minas Gerais state . The rocky soil — which was not proper for agriculture activity — drew attention to the area for mineral extraction and processing , later targeted for fertilizer sale . The first company of the group , Curimbaba Mining , was founded in 1961 and bauxite exploration and processing took off .