Ribeirão Preto

Ribeirão Preto is a municipality located in the northeastern region of São Paulo state, Brazil. Positioned at 313 km from the city of São Paulo and 706 km from Brasília, the municipality proper spans an area of 650.9 km2 and maintains a population of 698,642 inhabitants.

What defines the economic landscape of Ribeirão Preto today?

Originally established around 1856 as an agricultural region with coffee as a primary source of income, the local economy transformed significantly after 1929 when coffee lost value compared to the industrial sector. During the second half of the 20th century, targeted investments in health, biotechnology, bioenergy, and information technology propelled the municipality forward, leading to its official declaration as a Technological Center in 2010. These diversified activities helped position the municipality with the 30th-largest gross national product in Brazil, supported by a sophisticated center of services tailored for South America.

Presently, sugarcane remains the major crop cultivated in the rural area of the municipality, accompanied by minor crops such as pastures, maize, peanut, and soybean. Industrial manufacturing outputs encompass medical materials, dental materials, animal feed, meat, dairy products, textiles, steel, furniture, building materials, agrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and beer. Furthermore, the economy is bolstered by large-scale trade gatherings, most notably the Agrishow Agricultural Fair, which ranks among the most critical agricultural trade shows in the country. Commercial aviation also plays a direct role in the local infrastructure, as the airline Passaredo Transportes Aéreos maintains its corporate headquarters within the Jardim Aeroporto area of the city. Additional events such as the Ribeirão Rodeo Music, Joao Rock Music Festival, and the National Outdoor Book Fair further contribute to the lively commercial and cultural dynamism of Ribeirão Preto.