Bakery uses unique marketing and local markets to bring Portuguese pastry to US

Multiple marketing channels and creative promotion are NYC-based Joey Bats Cafe’s recipe for success

When Joey Batista moved to New York from Massachusetts in 2013, he wanted to use his experience in sales and marketing to build his own business. He didn’t have a culinary background, but he knew his mother’s delicious Portuguese recipes had the potential to be the start of something sweet.

Today, he is the owner of Joey Bats Cafe, a growing set of bakery locations specializing in pastéis de nata, a light and flaky Portuguese pastry filled with caramelized egg custard and dusted with cinnamon and sugar. The treat is sold at the company’s two (soon to be three) New York City cafes, online via the food marketplace Goldbelly, and at numerous street fairs and markets, including Queens Night Market, an open-air, family-friendly Saturday night market in Queens, NY.

“Night markets and festivals are a great way to expose your product to new audiences and help you prove the success of your idea,” he says. “And, the money generated can be invested right back into the business.”

Contrary to what one might expect, the Portuguese community isn’t necessarily Batista’s core target audience for pastéis de nata. “They already know about it — I want to reach everyone else in America.”

Batista recently explained the importance of having a growth mindset, why you need to focus on your product’s unique value, and why all business owners should expect the unexpected.

Tip: Create a concept you can scale

When Batista decided to create a Portuguese food brand, he knew he needed to find the right product. His mother creates uniquely delicious Portuguese treats, and he had success convincing some cafes and stores in NYC to feature one of her Portuguese cakes. But to grow his business Batista needed something that could be produced and sold at scale while maintaining the authentic Portuguese taste.

He settled on pastéis de nata since it can easily be frozen after it is baked and maintains its quality once defrosted. Batista found a manufacturer in New Jersey that could produce the tarts at scale and freeze them so they would keep for up to one year. This enabled the product to not only be easily shipped to Joey Bats Cafes, but to be shipped around the country via Goldbelly, to reach a wider customer base.

To support his growth plans Batista moved production to Portugal in 2019 to maintain quality ingredients but significantly reduce costs. This led to a nearly 70% savings per tart, even factoring in the cost of transportation, which has risen nearly 50% over the last year. Once they arrive in the United States, the frozen tarts are stored in a facility in Jersey City, NJ before being shipped to their final locations.

“The huge savings made it a no brainer and the ingredients we use now are Portuguese, which adds to the authenticity of the product,” he says. “The most complex part is the paperwork involved with importing the goods, so I found a good agent to help me navigate that task.”

As Batista builds his company, continuing to sell as a vendor at Portuguese festivals and seasonal markets such as Queens Night Market helps him refine his operations and raise his visibility. For instance, succeeding at busy markets requires him to work out factors such as how many ovens are needed to bake products quickly enough so people don’t have to wait in line too long.

Bottom line: From day one, think about devising a concept and building a company that has potential to grow. This mindset will prompt you to establish systems, line up staffing, and plan for marketing and other business operations that support growth.

Tip: Promote what makes your product unique

When Batista first started marketing pastéis de nata, he knew it was critical to find the right description for the pastry, which is unfamiliar to many Americans.

“It was hard to get people to try the tarts, even if they were offered free samples and they smelled delicious coming out of the oven because they didn’t understand what it was,” he says. “Once you have one, you’re hooked, so I had to explain them just right.”

Once he hit upon a short, descriptive way to paint an inviting picture of the pastéis de nata, business really started to take off. The winning words are, ‘Imagine a warm crème brûlée wrapped in a flaky croissant.’ The phrase both describes the product and clearly communicates how it’s unique.

“Suddenly, because people understood what we are selling, we went from selling 50 a day to 500 and then 1,000,” Batista says.

Social media has also been an integral part of Joey Bats effort to promote the unique and delicious nature of his product. Batista uses an app called Neon Coat, a digital marketing app that connects businesses with models who are signed with agencies, to offer them free or discounted experiences in exchange for product promotion.

“They visit one of our cafes, try and love the product, and then post about it online,” he says. “Then, I can share these posts through my business and social media accounts. It’s a great way to generate content and visibility.”

In addition to news articles about the business, Batista has promoted the business through building his own very outgoing personal brand. Recently, for example, he was profiled in a New York Post article and on Fox News about the 600+ blind dates he has gone on since moving to New York.

“The PR person for my friend’s restaurant overheard me talking about my experiences and asked if she could pitch it to the newspaper,” he says. “I say yes to everything because any type of cross promotion benefits my business.”

Batista says he tries to continually evolve his promotional efforts, to find what has the best return on investment with the least cost and effort. For example, Joey Bats Cafe used to offer logo-branded boxes and cups. “But those can be expensive and they really don’t push the needle, so we’ve eliminated them for now.”

Bottom line: Zero in on what makes your product uniquely appealing and carefully craft words to communicate its value and appeal. Whether your product is something people are not familiar with, or a spin on an existing offering, honing this message is well worth the time since it will serve as the centerpiece of your promotion. Once your message is set, share it through a variety of channels. Trial and error is part of promotion, and you may need to continually evolve the channels you use as new promotional opportunities emerge and your customer’s habits evolve.

Tip: Expect the unexpected

Along with its successes, the company has experienced its share of business challenges. In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Batista had to close three physical locations. The week before the lockdown in March 2020 he had signed a new lease on a midtown New York location, with a hefty $10,000 monthly rent. An attorney helped him negotiate his way out of the lease, but the business still took a financial hit.

Looking for a way to support his remaining bakery location, Batista got creative. He began offering outdoor comedy shows and custom cocktails with Portuguese liquors in an outdoor setting.

“I think I was one of the first to build an outdoor dining structure in New York,” he says. “We still have it open today.”

The challenges he’s faced have reinforced an age-old business management lesson to Batista. This applies especially to financial matters. “We’ve been fortunate, but if I was starting over, I would have kept my full-time job a bit longer during our startup phase,” he says. “It would have been nice to have more money saved before making the jump.”

When it comes to securing the financing that most businesses need to meet ongoing commitment and to grow, Batista says the key is finding a bank that understands your business. “You need to find a banker who takes the time or has the knowledge to understand not only the challenges but the opportunities of your business,” he says.

Beyond opening a third location in New York this year, Batista’s goals for Joey Bats Cafe includes expanding to other parts of the U.S. Given the scalability of his business model, he has uniquely positioned his business to expand when opportunities arise. He’s also keenly aware that having the right partners to enable growth is critical: People from around the country have expressed interest in opening a franchise.

Bottom line: Unexpected financial challenges are to be expected when you run a business. Even thriving companies need support to meet ongoing commitments. Having financial resources in place is also key for managing sudden, unanticipated financial challenges. Start early to line up financing so that you have time to locate a partner who understands your business potential.

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