The articles written by the PÚBLICO Brasil team are written in the variant of the Portuguese language used in Brazil.
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The Portuguese sweet shop, famous for its delicacies made with eggs, sugar, milk and butter, became popular among Brazilians, who put a personal touch on the formula for success. From this combination, the couple Renata Ibaneis, 37 years old, and Fernando Pires, 35, created an enchanted world of sweets, in which cakes are the protagonists. Clients range from British royalty to famous players and personalities from Portugal and other countries.
Renata and Fernando began working, in Portuguese territory, in a Portuguese-owned bakery, with the initial name of Sucre & Cacau. They identified so much with the manufacture of sweets that they later created their own business, located in the Parede region, Cascais. Sucre Confeitaria emerged, whose brands appear in prominent events. According to Renata, the cake designer of the group, the work they carry out is the materialization of the dreams of clients who want something exclusive and with a lot of charm.
Renata lists among her productions the cake she created for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee, measuring more than two meters tall, in June 2022. The event, held at the British Embassy, was attended by the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in addition to the diplomatic corps accredited in the country. Ornate gold dishes with the mark of royalty came especially from Buckingham Palace, in London, for the festivities. The enthronement of King Charles, following the death of Queen Elizabeth, was also celebrated with a decorative cake prepared by Sucre.
A few months ago, Sucre gained the membership of another Brazilian couple, Simone Calixto, 52, an advertiser, and Antônio Lima, 55, from the capital markets, as investors and responsible for financial management. What was already working to expand the clientele, where luxury and sophistication are present, grew even more.
As the customer wants
Initially, the idea was to create a common party house, with cakes and sweets for celebrations in general, but it ended up turning into a business costing thousands of euros: delicacies inspired by grandma pastry chefs, which gained a modern presentation and a dose of sophistication.
In addition to weddings, requests to Sucre are frequent for baptisms, silver weddings, golden weddings and other dates considered important for families. The wealthier ones, by the way, have no difficulty in chartering a plane from Brazil to Portugal to transport the guests, renting a palace, where everyone stays, and holding the party discreetly, away from the paparazzi.
This was the case of an event organized by Sucre, at the Vidago Palace, in the north of the country, which has rooms measuring 80 square meters and daily rates around one thousand euros (R$6 thousand). A Brazilian millionaire brought the guests and accommodated them for three days. The party was organized, decorated and supplied with cakes and sweets prepared by the company. It is estimated that the cost of the party exceeded 500 thousand euros (R$ 3 million) — due to a contract with those responsible for preparing the party, the amounts cannot be disclosed.
Sucre prepares sweets for all types of parties: customers are demanding
Personal file
The variety of flavors and textures attracts the most demanding palates. Therefore, an important company in Portugal, in the cork sector, ordered a commemorative cake for the 2024 harvest, worth 700 euros (R$ 4,200). Another celebration that caught attention was the birthday party for the daughter of player Marquinhos, from the Paris Saint-German club, captain of the Brazilian team, held at the Parc des Princes stadium, in the French capital. The party required spectacular infrastructure to take the cake from Lisbon, disassembled, to the stadium, where it took on its final appearance.
In addition to him, the company organized parties with cakes for family members of players Diogo Costa, goalkeeper for the Saudi team Al-Hilal (formerly Porto) and the Portuguese national team; Bernardo Silva, from Manchester City; and Rafael Leão, from Milan; and for managers of renowned athletes, such as Jorge Mendes, and for TV presenter Cristina Ferreira.
Exports
Sucre also exports some of its production to countries such as Italy, England, Poland, France and Spain. In these cases, the values charged vary from 200 thousand euros to one million euros (R$ 1.2 million to R$ 6 million). Renata explains that she has an important team to reach such high heights and highlights the contribution of decorator companies that support her work, such as Menta Dourada, Kefi Eventos and Los Themes.
Sucre partners Simone and Antônio injected professionalism into the company. “Leaving the store and expanding the business to other regions of the country is the goal”, she adds. The objective is to democratize the cake, with Renata’s know-how and expertise, dividing production into two areas: one, for a more exclusive audience, as it already has, the other, for customized and lower-value services.
In the midst of this society, the novelty of “cake on the spot” emerged. According to Renata, the novelty is an evolution of the practices adopted until now, with the introduction of quick cake, prepared in front of the consumer, under transparent glass. “It’s a strategy we have to meet the demand of people who want a personalized cake, unlike decorative ones, which require ordering in advance”, he explains.
For partner Simone, the need for investment and management was the reason for the group’s union, “as it is an organic, family-based company, which needed communication and expansion of the public”. She notes that her training in marketing and the commercial area contributes to management and Antônio’s, with origins in the financial market, helps with the administrative-financial part. “The work developed by Sucre so far is recognized for its high quality, but what we want now is to scale up our products, reach more people”, he highlights.
