MANCHESTER, NH —In a city already steeped in immigrant history, a new market is offering nearly 1,000 unique Brazilian products to Queen City residents. On opening day, dozens of customers stopped by Via Brazil Meat Market, located at 42 Bridge Street, to purchase imported grocery items, chocolates, household and beauty products, and more.
“My family and I used to work in house cleaning. It’s a really exhausting job,” said Via Brazil Meat Market owner Ramon Idalencio, speaking through a translator.
“We knew that Manchester didn’t have a Brazilian market, and we saw that there was demand. So after some research, we decided to start here.”
Idalencio immigrated to the U.S. from Santa Catarina, Brazil, eight years ago. He and his family currently live in Salisbury, Mass., and operate the store together.
“Manchester is very beautiful, and it’s easy to get around, compared to Boston,” said Idalencio. “I would rather live in Manchester than in Boston.”
Like Manchester, Idalencio’s home country is largely populated by descendants of immigrants. In the early 20th century, economic issues motivated many Japanese people to move to Brazil. Today, Japanese culture holds major influence in Brazil (think Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu), and the country is home to the largest community of Japanese descendants outside of Japan.
An authentic taste of Brazil, therefore, would not be complete without a variety of Japanese products such as instant ramen packages and bottled Ramune soft drinks.
Shoppers will also find cases of Brazil’s iconic Antarctica Guaraná soda, a high-caffeine carbonated drink that shares an ingredient with products such as Red Bull and Yerba-maté. This popular Brazilian soda is made with guaraná, a native plant with fruits that resemble human eyes.
With the holiday season fast approaching, Idalencio made sure to stock shelves with a wide variety of panettone, a sweet cake-like bread of Italian origin. Shopper Bruno Pinhate, who recently moved to Manchester from Salem, Mass., explained that panettone has become a popular Christmas tradition in Brazil. Flavors available at Via Brazil Meat Market include lemon, truffle, and milk chocolate.
Due to Brazil’s position along the equator, produce familiar to Americans can sometimes develop unfamiliar flavors. For example, avocado is considered sweet, while corn is a popular ice cream flavor—the latter now accessible to adventurous Granite Staters thanks to Via Brazil Meat Market.
Near the grocery items, an entire endcap is dedicated to bags of gummy candy. Shapes include bears, worms, bananas, and… teeth. And toothbrushes.
“The teeth are my favorite,” said Pinhate.
A butchery shop is near completion in the back of the downtown storefront. Idalencio has hopes to soon stock shelves with Brazilian wines, and there is talk of adding a Brazilian bakery.
Pinhate explained the significance of breads in Brazilian culture.
“Bread is pretty traditional for us to eat, especially French bread for breakfast,” said Pinhate.
According to Idalencio, the addition of the bakery will depend on customer demand for fresh-baked Brazilian-style breads.
Via Brazil Meat Market is located at 42 Bridge Street. Ample customer parking is available in a lot behind the store. Within the next week, a second Granite State location is due to open in Nashua at 419 Amherst Street.
