The Barra Energética de Querença (BEQ) can now be purchased, even if only in the city of Loulé, in the Loulé village that gives it its name or by order.
Developed at the University of Algarve, in partnership with the Querença Project and local entrepreneurs, this energy bar based on natural products typical of the region, such as carob, almond, fig and honey, has now reached the commercialization stage, after several successful tests, namely with sportsmen and lovers of outdoor activities.
The official launch of BEQ was made during the Corrida Vertical event, which took place in Quarteira, about a week ago. Since then, it is possible to purchase the bar at the company's store ProActiveTur, in Loulé. The bars are sold in boxes of ten, which cost 10 euros (1 euro per bar).
A new point of sale will soon be created in Querença, in a «place to be defined», in addition to a website being developed for sale of BEQ. At the ATR headquarters, in Querença, it is also possible to purchase the bar, but the association does not have fixed hours of operation.
O Sul Informação he was in Loulé to talk with Romilson Brito, the food engineer who developed the bar, with João Ministro, responsible for ProActiveTur, and with Bruno Rodrigues, from Associação Algarve Trail Running.
Bruno Rodrigues: “We want to move, slowly, from artisanal production to a more industrialized one. Right now, our production will be around 600 bars per week"
While finalizing preparations to produce another batch of energy bars, the three entrepreneurs told the latest developments of this adventure they embarked on.
«The launch went well. We had a stand, along with the Algarve Trail Running, and we sell several boxes to the participants. It was the first time that we exhibited the bars for sale and we had good acceptance», said Romilson Brito.
«We, from Algarve Trail Running, are currently selling the bar. We wipe out the entire stock of bars (laughs)…but we pay!” joked Bruno Rodrigues, founder of that association.
«We have received contacts from events, specialty stores, namely dietetics and nutritional products. And many hikers, too. Just yesterday [August 6th] we sent a box to a walker in Porto», he revealed.
Some of the hikers who come to the Via Algarviana will also have the opportunity to taste the BEQ. «We offer a welcome kit to all our customers and we are going to include an energy bar», revealed João Ministro, who annually takes many tourists to the pedestrian route that crosses the interior of the Algarve.
At this stage, BEQ promoters want to take safe steps and are "starting slowly". «We want to move, slowly, from artisanal production to a more industrialized one. At this moment, our production will be around 600 bars per week», revealed Bruno Rodrigues.
Despite not having hands to measure, with so many requests, ideas continue to emerge and be worked on. One that is in “candy stitch” is the creation of a gluten-free version of BEQ.
“This version has not yet been released, but it will be the next step. To achieve it, we just have to exchange one ingredient for another. This bar, at the outset, has a very low amount of gluten», explained Romilson Brito.
The problem lay in finding a supplier of the necessary ingredient, without gluten, something that was achieved at the end of last week, according to João Ministro. The idea is to reach consumers intolerant of this substance, expanding the target audience.
Barra Energética de Querença is the result of several partnerships
BEQ's history goes back a long way, but it's only recently been possible to obtain a formula with the ideal consistency. A work carried out by Romilson Brito, first as an internship project in the Food Engineering course at UAlg and, later, with a more direct connection to the Querença Project.
It was through this last initiative, which aims to attract young entrepreneurs to the interior of the municipality of Loulé and promote the creation of new businesses in this low-density area, that Romilson Brito found the necessary partners to take this step forward and take the bar out of the laboratory. , to put it on the market.
The company ProActiveTur, the Algarve Trail Running association and the entrepreneur Michael Guerreiro, believed in this idea and are helping the young food engineer to structure this product. The first two companies are helping to develop the product and market it.
Michael Guerreiro is the owner of the Loulé Fábrica da Amêndoa bakery and pastry shop, where Barra is produced. Before reaching the commercialization stage, a brand and an image for Barra was created, under the responsibility of Luís Caracinha, and the nutritional information of the product was verified, an essential step for its commercialization.
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