Ora Pois: Brigadeiria carioca that closed due to violence is reborn in Portugal

In August 2021, chef and businesswoman Carolina Sales, responsible for one of the brigadeiro chains gourmet most famous in Rio de Janeiro, surprised customers and friends by announcing the closing of all stores and the family’s move to Portugal due to the violence in the city. About a year later, the venture was reborn on the other side of the Atlantic.

The most international of Brazilian sweets, the brigadeiro is the flagship of Carolina Sales Café in Oeiras, a beach town strategically located between Cascais and Lisbon, two great centers for expatriates from Rio.

The store’s public, for now, is a balanced mix of Portuguese, Brazilians and people of other nationalities.

“The Portuguese already know well about brigadeiros, it’s already something well established. What is still new for most is the gourmet version, which arouses a lot of curiosity. We explain that it is a more balanced brigadeiro, made with good quality ingredients “, says chef Carolina Sales.

In addition to the cafe open to the public, the space also has a large professional kitchen, where classes and workshops take place. The objective is to expand the business again, but this time in Portugal.

Before opening the doors of the business, the businesswoman says she studied the market and the gastronomic preferences of the Portuguese.

“Fortunately, our revenues were doing well in Brazil and we were ready to start the franchising process. What really weighed on us was the issue of violence. It was becoming unsustainable to stay in Rio”, says the businesswoman, who already chose to open stores only in malls precisely to minimize the risk of robbery.

“I think I made the right decision when I see where we’ve come. Not long ago, there was a robbery at a jewelry store where one of my stores operated, and the bandits used the workers as hostages. It could have been us,” he adds.

Carolina Sales Café
Av. Dr. Francisco de Sá Carneiro 6A – Oeiras