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In a small hall in Cidade Baixa, Brigadeiros da Li went from almost idle weekends to serving up to 600 people, after Leandra Winck and Andreus Gavião turned brigadeiro, snacks, and nostalgia into a sought-after buffet, with renovations, lines, and expansion ambitions in Rio Grande do Sul.
The brigadeiro stopped being just the main product of a small confectionery in Porto Alegre to become the center of an unexpected business turnaround. Brigadeiros da Li, led by Leandra Winck, 27, and Andreus Gavião, 30, went from a store with little movement to a business that earns about R$ 300,000 per month.
The change began with a simple proposal: to create a brigadeiro buffet. The format, which later included snacks, hot dogs, and a children’s party atmosphere, went viral on social media, attracted lines, increased the team, and made the couple refuse about 100 reservations per week due to lack of space.
From sweets sold at school to owning a confectionery in Porto Alegre
The journey of Leandra Winck began before the physical store. Upon leaving Santa Rosa, in the interior of Rio Grande do Sul, to study in Porto Alegre, she found in sweets a way to supplement her income. First, she sold at school, then on the streets, carrying the packages on public transport.
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Over time, orders grew. Her routine was divided between mining engineering studies and producing sweets for parties. The demand increased so much that Leandra ended up pausing her course to focus on the business. The brigadeiro, which started as a financial outlet, became the center of her professional life.
In 2019, delivery expanded the brand’s reach. When the pandemic hit, parties were canceled, and many orders had to be returned. Even so, deliveries continued. It was during this period that Leandra managed to save the first R$ 20,000 to open a physical store.
The initial space was small and mainly focused on order pickups. For years, the operation was sustained by delivery, orders, and promotions. The store existed but rarely filled up. On a weekend considered good, about 20 people passed through the place between Saturday and Sunday.
The flood closed the store, but it also preceded a new phase
In May 2024, the floods that hit Rio Grande do Sul affected the routine of Brigadeiros da Li. The water did not enter the property, but the store was isolated, without water and electricity. The stock was prepared in the ovens and sent to rescue teams operating in the region.
The operation was halted for about a month and a half. After reopening, delivery resumed strongly, but the business was still looking for a way to better utilize the physical location. In September 2024, the couple decided to transform the pickup area into a small café.
The new setup had seven tables and a reduced lounge. Business improved, but not enough to completely change the scenario. The location was still far from being the bustling address the couple envisioned. The big turnaround would only come in October 2025.
It was in this month that Leandra suggested the buffet. The initial idea was straightforward: the customer would pay a fixed price to eat brigadeiros at will. Andreus was not immediately thrilled, but agreed to test it. The first video was posted on social media on a Friday night and quickly caught attention.
The brigadeiro buffet was born simple, but had to be reinvented in a few days
On the first Saturday of operation, the proposal was still limited. Some loyal customers showed up, but the format quickly revealed problems. The price of the buffet was close to the price of a box with 15 brigadeiros, which reduced the perceived advantage for the consumer.
Customer feedback helped the couple see the necessary adjustment. Eating only brigadeiro could become tiresome, and there was a lack of variety to justify the experience. From there, Andreus suggested including party items, such as savory snacks and hot dogs. Leandra immediately associated the set with a children’s party.
The idea gained another meaning. The buffet stopped being just an offer of sweets and started selling emotional memory. Brigadeiro, coxinha, hot dog, and French fries formed a simple, recognizable package with strong emotional appeal.
On Sunday, the couple shared the news with friends responsible for a gastronomic profile in Porto Alegre. They recorded the content on the same day. By Monday morning, the video had already reached 1 million views, and the confectionery began receiving contacts from media outlets, radio stations, and new followers.
The viralization brought queues, improvisation, and an operation larger than the store could handle
The sudden success did not come without problems. The store had a capacity for about 20 people, but there were already 80 confirmed reservations. There was a shortage of cups, plates, cutlery, tables, chairs, and infrastructure to accommodate the new demand. What was a small café had to turn into a high-flow operation in just a few days.
Without immediate return from suppliers, the couple resorted to emergency solutions. They requested permission to use the sidewalk of the neighboring property and rented dozens of tables and chairs. In five days, the space that previously had seven empty tables was transformed with an improvised setup to handle the crowd.
On the first Friday after going viral, the lines reached the street. Products purchased to last the weekend ran out in four hours. Glass cups and plates were replaced with disposables, the electrical network couldn’t support the equipment, the power went out, and the team was not yet prepared for the intense service.
The following week was dedicated to corrections. The couple bought fryers, revamped the electrical network, installed air conditioning, replaced disposables with dishes, and trained staff. The growth came quickly, but professionalization had to keep up at the same speed.
Today, the buffet mixes 25 brigadeiros, snacks, and diverse audience
Brigadeiros da Li currently has a menu with 60 types of brigadeiros. In the buffet, 25 versions are served: 15 fixed and 10 rotating. Among the options are traditional flavors and combinations like chimarrão, blueberry, lemon, and passion fruit.
Besides the sweets, the menu includes about 12 types of party snacks, such as croquette, rissole, coxinha, and cheese pastries. There are also vegetarian options, as well as hot dogs and French fries. The format aims to recreate the feeling of a children’s party but also caters to adults.
The audience is varied. Families with children, young people, groups of friends, and customers drawn by nostalgia began to fill the hall. For many, the interest is not just in eating as much as they want, but in reliving a type of food associated with birthdays and collective moments.
The adult buffet costs R$ 54.90, while the children’s buffet, for kids up to 10 years old, is R$ 29. The service takes place on Friday nights and on Saturday and Sunday afternoons and evenings. The average ticket ranges from R$ 65 to R$ 70 per person.
Revenue grew, the team increased, and lack of space became the new limit
With the new model, the confectionery began to earn about R$ 300,000 per month. On weekends, it receives between 400 and 600 people. The volume is so high that the establishment turns down around 100 reservations per week because it cannot accommodate all interested parties.
The team also changed in size. During the week, there are ten permanent people. On weekends, with the addition of freelancers, the group can reach 35 workers. Preparation begins on Thursday to sustain the concentrated movement between Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
The next step is to expand the structure. The couple is undergoing a new renovation to move the dessert kitchen to a property on the corner. With this, the current space occupied by production will be converted into a lounge. The savory kitchen will remain at the already used address.
The estimated investment is R$ 110,000. The expectation is to open about 80 new seats and allow up to 80 reservations per rotation, a currently unfeasible number. If the expansion works as planned, revenue could grow by 25% and approach R$ 375,000 monthly.
Expansion to Serra Gaúcha and franchises are on the radar, but without haste
With the repercussion, requests from interested franchisees and contacts from investors have emerged. Even so, the couple still prefers not to accelerate this movement. The priority is to standardize the current operation before opening new units or replicating the model in other cities.
Leandra shows interest in taking the brand to Gramado or Canela, in Serra Gaúcha. The tourist region matches the proposal of a confectionery focused on experience, nostalgia, and group consumption. Andreus, on the other hand, also sees potential in franchises in the future.
Caution indicates that growth will not be treated solely as an effect of going viral. The demand exists, but turning a local phenomenon into a network requires standardization, training, structure, and quality control. For a business that started small, this may be the most important challenge.
The story of Brigadeiros da Li shows how an apparently simple idea can change the scale of a company when it finds the right format, the right audience, and the right moment on social media. The brigadeiro, in this case, became a product, experience, and trigger of emotional memory.
A simple idea, a small store, and a change difficult to predict
A turnaround of Porto Alegre’s confectionery did not happen just because a video went viral. The reach on social media accelerated the process, but the success also depended on the couple’s quick adaptation, reading customer feedback, and the ability to transform a limited idea into a more complete experience.
The case draws attention because it mixes common elements of Brazilian entrepreneurship: small store, tight budgets, improvisation, climate crisis, attempt at reinvention, and intense use of social media. At the same time, it reveals how local businesses can gain scale when they manage to create a proposal that is easy to understand and hard to ignore.
Now, the challenge is to sustain growth without losing control of the operation. The brigadeiro buffet still needs to balance demand, space, team, quality, and expansion. For customers, there’s the curious experience of paying for a kind of out-of-season children’s party. For the couple, there’s the responsibility of turning the phenomenon into a lasting business.
And you, do you think a brigadeiro buffet with party snacks would have the strength to become a craze in other cities in Brazil, or does this success depend a lot on timing and going viral on social media? Share your opinion.
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