BRAZIL. A store offering food & beverage and other souvenirs from the northeast Brazilian state of Bahia has been launched at Salvador–Deputado Luís Eduardo Magalhães (Salvador Bahia) International Airport.
The 62sq m shop, located airside in the domestic departures North Pier, is named Tereza Palm after the renowned regional chef who owns two of Salvador’s best-known restaurants. Palm has also partnered SSP Group to open the Mesa de Tereza restaurant at the airport.
The store, operated by Palm alongside local partners, offers products which are prominent in Bahia’s cuisine, including flours, jams, fruit sweets, peppers, chocolates and palm oil, as well a range of local ceramic crafts. Also available are the frozen meals popular at Palm’s restaurants.
The store’s design features elements characteristic of the region, including Salvador’s historical architecture, such as the colourful houses of Pelourinho in Salvador’s historic centre, straw, baskets and other decorative items that reflect local culture.
Speaking to The Moodie Davitt Report, Salvador Bahia Airport Commercial Manager Renata Gonzalez said: “The store sells products representative of local cuisine and regional diversity, allowing the public to take away with them, as a souvenir or gift, the gastronomic richness of the state of Bahia.
“These objectives are in line with the airport’s quest to strengthen its sense of place, which seeks to awaken in passengers a feeling of welcome that refers to the local culture, its people, customs and typical elements such as the dendezeiro tree, a source of palm oil; and acarajé [a popular Brazilian street food and fritter made from mashed black-eyed peas that are deep-fried and then split and stuffed -Ed].
“We are proud to partner with local entrepreneurs in our commercial set up such as Tereza Palm, who are born and bred in Bahia.”
Discussing retail and F&B performance at the airport, Salvador Bahia Airport Commercial Director David Thompson said: “This has been a very good year to date for revenues and passengers at Salvador Bahia Airport,” he said. “After registering just over 7 million passengers in 2023, this year, between January and September, it served more than 5 million passengers.
“We closed the first half of 2023 with more than 3.9 million passengers, with June standing out as the best last month of a semester since 2015.”
Looking ahead, he added: “In 2025, Salvador Bahia Airport should record the best January in the last 25 years in terms of international passenger volume, reaching the mark of more than 60,000 seats available on flights that will be reflected in the arrival and departure of tourists from Salvador, boosting the city’s and Bahia’s economy.” 
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