Osvaldo Lourenco, owner of the Hanford Portuguese Bakery, right, talks with Brenda and Frank Correio, who are passing through Hanford on their way back to their home on the coast Tuesday. They have been to Portugal several times, and bought some Portuguese canned and baked goods from the bakery.
Osvaldo Lourenco, owner of the Hanford Portuguese Bakery, right, talks with Brenda and Frank Correio, who are passing through Hanford on their way back to their home on the coast Tuesday. They have been to Portugal several times, and bought some Portuguese canned and baked goods from the bakery.
Eager customers enter the Hanford Portuguese Bakery every morning looking for the establishment's famous sweet breads, the same as they've been doing for more than two decades.
"Let me tell you this first — the bakery is here for 22 years. That’s a long time," said Osvaldo Lourenco.
And what exactly is it that brings customers back to the bakery every morning?
"Everything we sell here came from Portugal," Lourenco said.
Fresh baked goods line the glass cases at the Hanford Portuguese Bakery Tuesday.
Gary Feinstein, Contributor
Lourenco said that while he runs a Portuguese bakery, the food is for everyone.
"The Portuguese people, the American people, the Mexican people, whatever …I like the people to try our food,” he said.
Lourenco, who was born in Portugal, has lived in Hanford for 18 years. He's lived in the United States for 43 years, growing up in the Bay Area.
He said he has grown accustomed to Hanford over the years and become acquainted with the Hanford vibe during his nearly 20 years in the city.
Lourenco explained that many items in the bakery are inspired by family.
"My wife, she likes to bake … especially the pastries,” he said, adding that she went to school in Portugal to learn how to bake pastries.
The couple has been married 35 years and met here in the United States, despite both being from Portugal.
It’s interesting to note that the husband and wife bakery team are both from the same small island in Portugal and never knew each other until they met years later in the United States, where they would go on to create the business together.
Many various and diverse items line the shelves at the Bakery ranging from the ever-popular Portuguese sweet breads to various specialty and culturally-significant meats and fish ideal for festivals, specialty occasions — or any occasion. The items sold in the Bakery are imported from Portugal.
Lourenco also said that they deliver Portuguese sweet breads to local supermarkets.
What’s important to note about the Bakery and its significance in Hanford is that it fulfills a niche market within the larger bakery market in Hanford yet it caters to all demographics and types of people. The bakery is universal in its appeal while displaying the richness and diversity of the Portuguese culture and cuisine.
Hanford Portuguese Bakery is located at 1738 N 10th Ave. Hanford and is open Tuesday through Saturday.
