'How family heartbreak inspired me to bring taste of Brazilian homeland to Aberdeen's Union Street'

Press and Journal

a day ago

Otavio Ferreira and his mum Angela Freitas' dream of bringing a taste of Brazil to Aberdeen all started through a chance Google search.
Strolling the streets of London after tragedy forced him to head south from the Granite City, the pair were looking for a comforting taste of home.
'We searched it up and luckily enough we were a 10-minute walk from a Jungle Berry spot,' the 24-year-old tells me.
They were soon tucking into the tart and sweet flavours of its trademark acai dishes, a small but versatile berry known for its health benefits.
It is only grown in the Amazon, and Otavio and Angela were instantly transported back to their native Brazil.
This chance quick bite to eat has ended up snowballing into the restaurant stalwart opening up his own franchise on Union Street.
As I walk into the under-construction cafe on a blustery morning, the mum-and-son duo are working tirelessly to get their labour of love open.
Sitting down at one of the tables, Otavio begins telling me the story of how he came to live in Aberdeen…
The 24-year-old, originally from Belo Horizonte, moved to the Granite City in 2020, having spent 10 years in the hospitality industry.
Starting out at a burger joint in his native country with his brother, Otavio has worked his way up to being second in command at popular spots like Miller and Carter and Estabulo in Union Square.
But the young South American is now making the jump into running his own business.
'I always dreamed of creating something of my own that could offer not just great food, but a meaningful experience,' he said.
But it was tragedy that led to Otavio and his mum coming across the Brazilian outfit.
Otavio's older brother, Matheus, sadly died in a motorcycle accident in 2022.
The 22-year-old was riding his motorcycle in Crystal Palace when he was involved in a crash with a car.
The pair had to visit the English capital during some of the worst days of their lives.
And their thoughts turned to their Brazilian homeland, and some of the authentic dishes they used to love.
'When we were in London, we were just kind of looking for somewhere to go for food,' he recalls.
'The circumstances that we were in London weren't really the best, we weren't in a great mood, so we wanted to get something that would make us feel a bit happier.'
The cafe boss added: 'We searched it up and luckily enough we were a 10-minute walk from a Jungle Berry spot.
'My mum and I found comfort in reconnecting with one of his favourite foods, acai, and from that moment, we knew we wanted to bring that joy to others.
'It brought back a lot of happy memories of when you're back in your country and around your friends and family.
'It was that moment we were like 'this is amazing – we really want to have this back home in Aberdeen'.'
As the tastes transported him back to his homeland, Otavio knew he couldn't leave without finding the nearest one to Aberdeen.
'We didn't have any idea about this project, but I asked the person behind the counter and she said they didn't have any shops in Scotland, but they were always looking for different locations,' the acai aficionado said.
'Somehow, a few weeks later, we ended up with the phone number of the owner of the company.'
And after a short deliberation with his mum, Otavio was right up for the job.
'We were just like 'yeah, let's do this. Let's bring Jungle Berry to Aberdeen',' he beamed.
Having spent more than a decade in the industry in some of the city's most popular spots, the Brazilian is no stranger to the granite cityscape.
And for him, Union Street is the place to be.
'My previous job that I just came out of was at Miller and Carter, so I've seen that there is footfall,' Otavio said.
'There are people that still come to go to the same place again and again like Miller and Carter. Because of the service and the quality, people do come back quite often.
'That just really showed to me that there is potential,' he added.
'It's just that there aren't enough options and from the people that I speak to on a daily basis, working in hospitality, they're saying that there's not enough options.
'People don't want to go to the same places, they want to try something new.'
Otavio and his mum just opened their new superfruit cafe this week, with all hands on deck to add the finishing touches as quickly as they can.
Jungle Berry will be offering up a taste of the Amazon to Aberdeen, focusing on the Brazilian superfruit acai – but offering much more too.
'We're not just serving acai bowls, smoothies and Brazilian snacks,' the man behind the plan said.
'Aberdeen's growing energy around city-centre regeneration is inspiring, and we're proud to be part of the movement that's helping to bring it back to life.
'We hope Jungle Berry can become a bright, joyful spot that reflects what's best about this city and the people in it.'