Gringo Group Therapy and MeetUp Happy Hour

By Brennan Stark, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The Gringo Café in Ipanema will host its monthly Gringo Group Therapy event this Friday, September 2nd at 7PM, offering numerous happy hour drink specials in a casual setting as native Brazilians and expatriates alike come together to exchange tips and stories of living in Rio de Janeiro.  The event is also co-sponsored by the Small Business Owners & Entrepreneurs of Rio De Janeiro Meetup Group, with a focus on navigating Rio’s real estate jungle.

To help, Hakan Olsson from Rio Apartments, who has spoken at seminars regarding investment potential in Rio de Janeiro State around the world, has been invited to lead the informal discussion and field questions.

The meeting will not, however, be solely a business-themed discussion of real estate.  The informal event, begun in March of this year by Gringo Café founder and owner Sam Flowers, typically has a relaxed atmosphere with businesspeople and residents alike giving tips on anything from scams to look out for, VISA issues, or to simply exchanging stories on the newest and best places to eat and drink in town. 

If getting tips on resolving confusing expatriate issues is not enough incentive, consider meeting new friends over Gringo Café’s Happy Hour Special, which offers two-for-one drinks with a new-and-improved cocktail menu.  The most popular drinks, Flowers recommends, are the “Mate Palmer (a spin on the traditional Arnold Palmer drink in the U.S.) and strawberry lemonade [with vodka, of course].” 

Other options include Flowers’ personal favorite, “The Caipi-Gringo, which features whiskey and lemon in place of cachaça and lime.” Flowers explains that “This [month’s meeting] is special because we’re inviting guest speakers who have a lot of experience buying real estate in Rio.”

Anthony Giuffrida, the Meetup Group organizer also has expertise conducting real estate business in Brazil for over seven years.  The current Meetup Group was created in 2007 and also meets monthly as the Expat Business and Real Estate group in locations throughout Rio, this month choosing Gringo Café as a perfect opportunity to bring more people together.

Giuffrida’s Meetup Group was initially started in an effort to help foreigners in who are unfamiliar with the workings of Brazil, and has grown into a business networking group with over 700 members from around the world.

According to Hakan Olsson, “Everyone knows the value [of Rio’s real estate] will go up because of the upcoming large sport events and also the oil business that grows so quickly in Rio de Janeiro.”

Topics Olsson says are typical, and which will likely be discussed, include whether or not people are “Entitled to own property in Brazil, about taxes involved with buying property, if it is safe, what would be needed for a foreigner to be able to purchase property, and also what would be the taxes when they sell the property one day in the future.”

No matter what stage someone is in the learning curve of Brazil and Rio de Janeiro real estate, the happy hour event will be a great opportunity to try some fun new drinks and meet up in Ipanema.

Find out more at:
Gringo Group Therapy Happy Hour on Facebook
Gringo Group Therapy Happy Hour on Meetup

Gringo Café
Friday, September 2nd, 7-9PM
Rua Barao Da Torre 240
Ipanema, Rio de Janeiro
Tel: 21-3813-3972