By Michela DellaMonica, Contributing Reporter
RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL — What started as a concept eight months ago for a Carioca couple, Jorge Jacob and Marcela Faraco, turned into a business when they decided to bring their love of New York City and bagels to Rio. The Baguel Store in Copacabana is setting up to offer fresh baked bagels in various flavors such as onion, multigrain and plain as well as a variety of homemade cream cheese.
After three months of research, recipe testing, raising capital and traveling back and forth to New York to form the Baguel Store concept, the doors opened.
“We love traveling to New York and eating bagels and we thought since Rio is an international city with such a love for New York, why not bring a traditional bagel shop to Rio for Cariocas to enjoy?” says Jorge Jacob, co-founder and co-owner of Baguel Store.
“To get to the final recipe for the bagel we spent three months researching and testing, including a trip to New York where we visited more then ten bagel stores,” says Marcela Faraco, co-founder and co-owner.
“We tested with three professionals before reaching the perfect recipe. As we wanted to make the real bagel, the traditional one with a Brazilian touch, we had to be prepared and patient with a very slow, handmade process, as all the bagels are individually boiled before receiving their topping and then baked.”
Before its grand opening at the end of April, there were some hurdles that had to be jumped for a successful launch. “The main obstacles we faced were the search for the right providers to compose our menu that was up to our standards, the search for the right personnel to deliver to our clients with the service and assistance they deserve,” says Jorge Jacob.
Unfortunately some early reviews and critics have not been so positive, and there are already a few other places to get bagels in Rio. For New Yorkers living or visiting Rio the bar will be set high, but most are optimistic about more options filling this space in the market.
“Since we renovated the entire [space], there were also a few unexpected repairs that needed to be fixed which delayed our opening a few weeks,” admits Marcela Faraco. “Overall we believe we are handling each unexpected event accordingly and are satisfied with the work we’ve done in such a short period.”
The first year in opening a business is always the toughest year. With specific goals in mind, the Baguel Store is motivated and committed to serving the community. “We made a high investment so we want to deliver great service and products for our clients,” says Jorge Jacob. “We also want to be the source in serving great bagels and a great experience in our shop to build a loyal and happy clientele.”
The storefront in Copacabana also offers cakes and pies like Red Velvet cake with cream cheese frosting. It is also possible for larger corporations to order breakfast catering with mini bagels and coffee via internet. The Baguel Store is open from Monday-Friday 8:30 AM-8:30 PM, Saturday 9AM-3:30 PM and is located at Rua Barata Ribeiro, 645 – Copacabana, (21) 3795-8550