It all started during the pandemic, when João Sequeira, 42 years old, at the time working in the hotel industry, became unemployed. With nothing to do, he started cooking at home. «I was freaked out, I think we all were, and I completely changed course. I started making croissants and, as the process was difficult, it grabbed me – and while I couldn't come up with the right recipe, I didn't give up», he tells the Sul Informação.
When he thought that the product he had in his hands was ready to show the world, started offering croissants to friends and family and «the compliments were so many that I was encouraged to carry this forward».
Even during the pandemic, he was in charge of taking croissants door to door to all its customers, but when people started to be able to leave their homes, it thought it was time to move on to the next step.
«Fortunately, our customers recognized the quality of the products and, without a doubt, they were the ones who pushed us to move forward to this second stage, that of opening a physical space», he says.
Now it's on the market Faro that we find all kinds of Croissants Marafades, the brand he invented: there are the traditional ones, mixed ones, nutella, kinder bueno, curd, egg jam and even carob (the last special edition, launched in partnership with the Algarve brand Carob World ).
But, with the opening of the space, in February of this year, João thought it made sense to also bet on other alternatives: such as bread, snacks and other types of cakes.
«The original project was not supposed to be so generalist, it was supposed to be just a croissant shop and bakery with naturally fermented bread, but the project has evolved to this, because we are inserted here in the market that, in my opinion, demands more than just croissants», explains João Sequeira.
Asked about what distinguishes its products, especially the croissants, the businessman claims that the secret lies in «dedication and commitment».
«We guarantee our customers that we are going to present something of quality, things that I myself would like to eat. The choice of raw materials is very important. Even if you earn a little less, what matters is to present a quality product with quality raw material and, whenever possible, local».
In addition, "one of the key points for the croissant quality is the fact that it undergoes slow fermentation, that is, it takes 36 hours to be made – and that makes the dough tastier and with a more pleasant texture», says the person in charge of the business, which started just with one person, but today it employs six people.
João believes that, with this business, he came to fill another need in the region.
«The Algarve needs a lot of different and innovative things, people with fiber and a desire to change the paradigm. I think that, in recent times, we have seen an improvement in this regard, but more is needed. External competition is increasing and we must always compare ourselves to the best and always bet on innovation».
Despite having opened the space in February, João Sequeira says that he has not yet felt the effect of seasonality and that, every day, he sells, on average, 350 croissants.
«It's going very well, but I want more, of course», he concludes, not denying that his future goal will be to open more stores.
Croissant Marafade is open from Monday to Friday, from 7:00 am to 19:30 pm, and at the weekend, from 7:00 am to 14:30 pm.
Photos: Mariana Sedge | Sul Informação
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