She is French and loves France very much, but her heart also beats for her country of origin: Portugal. At 49, Elvira Augusto changed her professional path by opening the first Laon grocery store specializing in Portuguese products. Previously, the merchant worked for a few years in a laboratory, before becoming secretary of the Road Safety Department for 15 years. I couldn't find my way anymore, and for some time now, this business story has been running through my mind. “It was his partner who decided to start,” she explains.
After a year of training to obtain the operating permit, Elvira Augusto's dream has become a reality. The doors of his store “A Casa Portuguesa”, located on De-Gaulle Street, are officially open. His arrival in the Laon region has been anticipated, to say the least. Since its opening, the store has been full. There is a large Portuguese community in Laon. “He used to have to go to Reims to buy Portuguese specialties,” confirms the manager.
“ I was born in France but my parents are Portuguese and they raised me and my siblings in the traditions of both cultures. Every year I went on holiday to Portugal, it never occurred to me to go anywhere else, it's the country I love “However, Elvira does not see herself leaving France to live there.” So I import a little bit from Portugal here. “She smiles. Franchisena sauce, moellas or bifana, dried cod or pastis de nata, all Portuguese flavours blend in his shop.
