Pound’s Park Sheffield: Mum spends all her savings on Brazilian coffee cart in prime city centre location

By now, many people in Sheffield will have noticed the renovated horsebox at the edge of Pound’s Park - a new urban play area that opened in May as part of the Sheffield City Council’s Heart of the City development plan.

For some months, a number of visitors to the park had mentioned missing facilities. But for the last few weeks, an adorable miniature coffee shop, Grão Café Brazil, has been supplying the goods, thanks to Rosangela Rodrigues.

After spending close to a decade working for numerous hotel chains, Rosangela, who lives on Shirecliffe Road, decided it was time to embark on a life-long dream of setting up her own business.

Using all £8,000 of her savings, the mum-of-one bought a rustic horse box and began its renovation into a cute coffee trailer, bringing with it some South American culture that had been lacking from the city.

Rosangela said: “I’m originally from Brazil, I moved here in 2000. When I want to eat something Brazilian, I go to Leeds, Manchester, anywhere, but not Sheffield.

“My idea is to showcase the vibrant Brazilian culture through my offering. I'm really looking forward to being a part of the community at Pound’s Park and providing visitors with a taste of Brazil.”

Within her budget, Rosangela managed to kit out the trailer with the essential luxury coffee machine and a fridge, plus some rustic wooden baskets to display her homemade Brazilian pastries. This includes coxinha, a savoury chicken croquette, and pão de queijo, a popular cheese bread, among many more. Visitors can also purchase ice-cream, cake, and cookies.

In August, Rosangela managed to secure a pitch at Chelsea Park in Nether Edge, but as the summer began to change to autumn she found business began to quieten down. Then to her surprise, after applying for a pitch at Pound's Park in October, she was offered a three-month trial period.

She said: “I was so excited when they accepted me. I love Sheffield, everyone is so friendly here.

“The feedback has been very good, the kids enjoy the pão de queijo, but not many people know that I’m here yet. I believe I just need time to build my customers and my regulars.

“One day, my vision is I would love to open my own Brazilian coffee shop in the city centre and people can have a proper sit down and enjoy the culture. People could come inside and walk in with some Brazilian music and browse more products.”

Grão Café Brazil will be open at Pound’s Park from 8am to 4pm, Wednesday to Sunday. For more information, visit the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089662612835