From the Streets of Salvador to 500 Monthly Orders

Carla built her acarajé business from a folding table on the streets of Salvador into a recognized local brand — here's her story.

2026-01-10 — Carla Oliveira

I learned to make acarajé from my grandmother. She sold it on the streets of Salvador her whole life, and so did my mother. When I took over the family spot, I knew I wanted to do something more with it.

The Old Way

Our corner at Largo do Pelourinho was good for locals, but tourists didn't always find us. We had no online presence, no way to take orders, and every holiday weekend we'd run out of stock because we couldn't predict demand.

Joining Aki

A community coordinator from Aki came to our neighborhood and ran a free workshop for vendors. She showed us how to set up our profile, upload photos, and write a description in both Portuguese and English for tourists.

Within a month, we had our first international customer — a couple from Argentina who had searched for acarajé specifically and found us on the app. They left a five-star review in Spanish.

Where We Are Now

We now process over 500 orders per month. I have two assistants. We've been featured in two travel blogs. And last month, a hotel concierge started recommending us to guests.

My grandmother's recipe is now feeding people from all over the world. That means everything to me.