São Paulo – Simone Amaro, from Rio de Janeiro, decided to present the Brazilian brigadeiro (chocolate sweets) to the Arabs of the United Arab Emirates and make a business out of it. Simone, who graduated in advertising and worked with internal marketing in Rio de Janeiro, takes 800 of the sweets she makes herself to the Arte Soukh, a handicraft fair that takes place at Times Square Centre, in Dubai. The products are consumed by Brazilians who live in the city, but are also bought by other foreigners and by locals.
She moved to Dubai in 2008, accompanying her husband, Marcelo Mendes, who is a beach soccer trainer, and she did not want a conventional job. “My daughter was very small, and I did not want to seek a job that consumed too much of my time,” says the entrepreneur. Her story with brigadeiros began after she took the sweets to friends’ birthday parties. They then started asking: “Why don’t you make and sell them?” Then, one and a half year ago, she started selling, first to Brazilians.
In the beginning, Simone made gourmet brigadeiros, using pistachio nuts and almonds, among others, which are in fashion in Brazil. But orders for more traditional style Brazilian sweets soon started being made, like cajuzinho, olho de sogra, beijinho and the traditional brigadeiro. Nowadays, she produces over 20 flavours and has at the handicraft fair, which receives over 150 exhibitors, her main window. The fair takes place from every second Friday of the month. But Simone also makes deliveries. In total, she produces between 2,000 and 2,500 sweets a month.
Simone explains that Brazilians are her main clients, followed by other foreigners, and then Arabs. “I received an order from a Brazilian company to serve a breakfast to Arab businessmen. We are bringing our culture to them,” she said. It is all produced by Simone herself, who is not planning to find a job in Advertising in the Emirates. On the contrary, if she continues living in the Emirates, she wants to continue making her brigadeiros and to formalize the activity, currently named Brigadelly – The Brigadeiro Company.
Simone’s daughter is already four and a half years old and her second son should be born this week. Despite having moved out of o Rio de Janeiro, she says she loves Dubai and would not swap the city for any other. “I would not leave the city on my own accord; it is a very safe place in which to raise your kids. I like the idea of my daughter being in a school where there are children from all over the world,” she said. Her staying in Dubai, however, depends on her husband’s work, whose contracts are annual. Currently, Marcelo trains the Emirates’ beach soccer team.
Contact
Brigadelly – The Brigadeiro Company
Telephone: +(971) 0507655115
E-mail: brigadelly@gmail.com
Site: http://brigadelly.blogspot.com.br/
*Translated by Mark Ament
