Pedro Lourenço was born on October 15, 1955, in Paineiras, Minas Gerais, to a family of farmers. He attended school until the 8th grade and, at 18, moved to Belo Horizonte, where he began his career as a truck unloader at the now-defunct Casas da Banha [pt] supermarket chain.[3] He rose through the company's ranks, becoming a sales supervisor for a wholesale distributor within a few years. In 1996, he decided to found Mercearia BH, which gradually grew into a supermarket chain by acquiring struggling stores and focusing on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte and small towns in the region that previously had no supermarkets.[3][4] In 2025, Supermercados BH was ranked as the fourth-largest supermarket chain in Brazil in a list published by the Brazilian Supermarket Association.[1]
A passionate fan of Cruzeiro EC, Pedro Lourenço first became involved behind the scenes at the club in 2019, around the time the team was relegated to Série B and Ronaldo took over the club's SAF (corporate entity).[5] He began by helping cover overdue salaries and invested R$100 million in the SAF through convertible debentures. He also took part in the acquisition of several players and provided loans to Cruzeiro.[5] His influence within the club grew steadily, ultimately leading to the sale of 90% of the club's SAF to Pedrinho in April 2024.[6]
