The story of Brazi Bites starts in Portland sometime in the summer of 2009. It had been about 4 years since Junea moved to the U.S. to be with her husband Cameron. Feeling homesick and missing the cheese bread from her country she called her mother in SE Brazil and asked for their family recipe. Her mother was excited and quick to share the family secrets that made, in her words, “the perfect cheese bread”. Junea and Cameron made their first batch in their home kitchen that summer.

The most important ingredient from her family’s recipe, the "Minas" cheese, was not available in the U.S. so Junea and Cameron spent the next few months trying countless cheeses, hoping to re-create “the perfect brazilian cheese bread” as they remembered it. Then one day in the spring of 2010 the most delicious and perfectly shaped cheese bread came out of the oven – it was so good they devoured the whole tray within minutes.

They tried to find ready-made brazilian cheese bread but the flavor, texture and quality never came close to their homemade recipe. Brazi Bites was than created so they could share their irresistable recipe with the U.S.

In 2011 they set up production in a downtown Portland commercial kitchen – a place to learn from other food manufacturers and join the local food scene. Their launch was at the “Spring Beer & Wine Festival” in April where they set up a booth and put Brazi Bites in front of people for the first time. The response was overwhelming – the bread was sold out several hours before the event was over.

Founding Team

Junea Rocha & Cameron MacMullin

Industry

Food/Beverage

Funding Source

Self-Funded

Year Joined

2015

Chapter

Portland