This review discusses the history and evolution of solid-state fermentation (SSF) in Brazil in the last 15 years. SSF processes and applications are presented here pointing out the advantages and perspectives for the use of this technique. Brazilian economy is strongly dependent on the various kinds of agro-industrial production such as coffee, sugar cane, soybean, etc., which also generates huge quantities of agro-industrial residues such as sugarcane bagasse, apple pomace, coffee husk and pulp, soybean defatted cake and declassified potatoes. Following the global trends on SSF research, since last 15 years the Laboratory of Biotechnological Processes (LPB) of Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) started a very promising journey through the development of SSF processes using agro-industrial residues for protein enrichment, biological detoxification, production of biomolecules such as enzyme, organic acids, food aroma compounds, biopesticides, mushrooms, pigments, xanthan gum, hormones (gibberellic acid (GA3)), etc. The basic aim has been to develop a laboratory scale bioprocess and optimize the production applying biochemical engineering principles.