Traditional multigrain bread, Portuguese corn flour bread, or even chorizo bread were never that easy to find around Macau, until Raquel Fera founded the first modern Portuguese Bakery here in early August.
Tired of looking for true Portuguese bread in Macau, Raquel decided to bake it herself. The business has exceeded her expectations: they are not only selling to supermarkets and restaurants, but a home-delivery service in Taipa was just officially launched last week.
“When I arrived in Macau [two years ago], I couldn’t find the same type of bread that we are used to in Portugal. So I started baking it at home. While talking to friends, they would also mention that they missed the traditional Portuguese bread,” she recalled.
Keeping this idea in mind, she thought this could be a good business opportunity, and alongside her husband Sérgio, Raquel decided to open a bakery, located in Barra, producing different kinds of traditional Portuguese bread, such as “Alentejano” bread, corn flour bread, multigrain bread and even the chorizo bread.
Initially, the plan was to bake varied types of bread and sell it to restaurants, hotels and supermarkets. As the couple opened the space and launched its Facebook page however, a large number of clients showed particular interest in buying the bread directly at the Portuguese Bakery.
“When we first started promoting the bakery, many people showed up. They wanted to see the place, and buy bread here. We realized that many people would prefer to buy it here, so we decided to open from Tuesday to Sunday between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.,” Raquel said.
The Portuguese Bakery is located in Barra, at Travessa dos Juncos, close to the “Riviera” apartment complex. So far, the business has exceeded their expectations, says Raquel, who has a degree in Science Education.
“We were not expecting such a good response. We were not expecting to make a profit in the first months, as most businesses usually don’t. But it has been a great success; we were able to start making a profit in the first few weeks. And we’ve received positive feedback from clients, which is always good.”
While many small and medium enterprises say they face trouble when trying to set up a business in Macau, Raquel Fera assured that, in her case, the process ran quite smoothly. She added that Macau presents itself as less bureaucratic: “It wasn’t too difficult and it doesn’t take a lot of time, as it’s less bureaucratic than in Portugal.”
Finding an ideal place, providing enough space to accommodate ovens and flour bags, proved a hard task as they were focused on finding a very specific type of building. Applying for government support took a little longer than expected, with the couple having to a pay multiple rents before opening.
Acquiring the necessary equipment to bake bread wasn’t too complex, she said, as the mainland Chinese market provides good quality options. On the other hand, the flour has to be imported from Portugal, as they were committed to baking traditional Portuguese bread.
The Portuguese Bakery has not only grabbed the attention of Portuguese nationals looking to find a taste of home, but also of expats and Chinese citizens.
“Many Chinese people come to our shop, as they live around here. They like the chorizo bread in particular,” she revealed.
A great part of the business is now home-delivery, available only in Taipa, which allows clients to receive fresh bread at home early in the morning.
“We first delivered on a trial basis, but [last week] we officially launched the home-delivery service. I received requests from many expats and Chinese people,” she revealed.
Plans for expanding the business and introducing new types of bread are on the agenda. For now, the famous “Alentejano” bread, multigrain, corn flour bread, baguettes, bread rolls and chorizo bread are all part of the current offering.
“We aim to expand, as we have enough space to do so. And also introduce new products, and types of bread, depending on what the public demands. We are thinking of having whole wheat bread, and rye bread, too.”
A Metro Pizza employee at the counter
Pizzas and rolls sprinkled with a Portuguese flavor
Seeking to explore yet another opportunity in Macau’s restaurant business, Marco Policarpo, Fernando Freitas and Martinho Moniz joined forces to open Metro Pizza in Barra last month. Apart from traditional Italian-
inspired pizzas sprinkled with some of the most iconic Portuguese ingredients, they are now also focusing on offering various types of bread.
“Initially, we were thinking of just opening a pizzeria, but since we were producing pizza dough, we thought we might as well bake bread,” Marco Policarpo, one of the business partners, said.
Focusing on a take-away service, the restaurant is located in Rua do Almirante Sérgio, in the Barra district, and has been open since early August.
Marco Policarpo explained that they are striving to find a bigger place, since they decided to produce bread too. “We understood that there was a lack of good quality bread in Macau; I mean the same type of quality that we can find in Portuguese bread. Of course there’s a wide range of Chinese bakeries available already, but the type of bread is quite different,” he recalled.
Chorizo, olive bread, country bread or brown bread are some of the options already available, which have rapidly grabbed the attention of Chinese residents, he guaranteed. From the common “margherita” and “bolognese” pizzas to a more unusual mixture, the group also decided to add some iconic Portuguese ingredients, such as codfish or sardines.
Marco Policarpo told the Times that, so far, about 85 percent of their clients are Chinese “as incredible as it sounds,” Mr Policarpo expressed. He added that perhaps the Chinese community is now looking into healthier types of bread as “our bread is additive-free, so it’s healthier.”
Marco Policarpo and Fernando Freitas know Macau’s restaurant business well, since they set up the restaurant Boa Mesa close to Senado Square a few years back. Martinho Moniz was until recently the chef of the famed Hotel Lisboa restaurant “Guincho a Galera.”
Since Metro Pizza is so far enjoying profitable days, Marco Policarpo revealed that expanding the business is the group’s next step. “We are planning on opening another [Metro Pizza restaurant], possibly in about three to four months, as we are still sorting out all the details for this restaurant we now have,” he stated, adding that expanding into Taipa is a strong possibility that they are considering.
Metro Pizza business partners are also striving to provide a few bread selling pop-up shops around town.
In addition, new options are likely to be added to their current menu, including various types of bread sprinkled with Portuguese cheese, or even codfish. During the Christmas season, they will be producing the traditional “Bolo Rei,” a cake resembling a crown and usually covered in crystallized fruit. CP
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