Juliana Turchetti. Photograph by AgAir Replace. Used with permission.
Juliana Turchetti, a trailblazing Brazilian aerial firefighter and proprietor of Springfield, Illinois-based Aviatori Espresso, died Wednesday whereas combating a hearth in Montana.
Engaged on behalf of Idaho-based firm Dauntless Air, the 45-year-old native of Minas Gerais was flying a FireBoss aircraft contracted to the U.S. Forest Service in an effort to battle a man-made hearth when the aircraft crashed. Turchetti was the one individual on board. Native and federal authorities stated the accident is below investigation.
Turchetti was an admired determine within the aviation and low industries, each of which she got here to by way of childhood passions in Brazil. Turchetti was just lately within the strategy of promoting the Aviatori Espresso home in Springfield in an effort to commit extra time to her aviation profession.
After deciding on the age of 12 that her calling was within the sky, Turchetti took her first flight as a flight attendant in Brazil at age 21 in an effort to lower your expenses to turn into a pilot. She would ultimately accrue greater than 6,000 flight hours whereas incomes quite a few piloting and instructors’ licenses, in accordance with her LinkedIn profile. She was additionally a common contributor to the B2B information publication AgAir in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Turchetti moved to the US in 2017, pursuing aviation jobs in Nevada, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Texas earlier than ultimately touchdown within the metropolis of Havana, Illinois, to fly agricultural planes.
Whereas in Havana and lacking the espresso of her dwelling nation, Turchetti began bringing in roasted coffees then inexperienced coffees from Minas Gerais. She started importing and roasting the greens for farmers market gross sales, then launched the family-run Aviatori Espresso store in 2022 inside a historic Springfield home.
In a 2022 radio interview with NPR Illinois, Turchetti shared a few of her ideas on espresso, urging company to be courageous.
“I like telling individuals what I find out about espresso, as a result of it’s a relentless studying for me; I’m nonetheless studying lots,” she stated. “So don’t ever really feel intimidated. If anybody is listening to us and desires to go there and ask questions. I’m very happy to reply. And, the nice espresso is the one that you simply like.”
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