As the sun climbs high in the sky over Burgau beach, and reflects onto the hot sand while beach goers lie like amphibians soaking up its rays or walk down to the shimmering blue waters, a motor can be heard as a van negotiates its way down the stone slipway. Once the fishermen’s route, another form of Algarve delicacy is arriving to nourish tourists. A horn honks and a man in a bright yellow t-shirt, a back-to-front cap and a big smile jumps out of a van adorned with the words Olha A Bolinha. Eager holiday makers jump off their beach towels or run from the water to form an orderly queue in front of the van. The donuts have arrived!
The well-known face of the peak-season beach scene is André Carmo, not just a vendor but a local celebrity and the man behind Olha a Bolinha. With an impressive following of nearly 11,000 on Instagram, his bolas de Berlim have been voted the “best in Portugal” for two years in a row by readers of the lifestyle magazine NiT.
The summer stage
When I meet André for a coffee in Praia da Luz, it soon becomes clear that his donut success is not just down to their delicious, fresh taste; it is down to the seller himself. André is certainly a charismatic character, with an energy and enthusiasm that kept bubbling throughout our chat, as he often jumped up to greet someone or tell another story. It seems that he knows just about everyone in the area and tells me, “Olha a Bolinha has now arrived in Luz.” He took over the café in Spar four months ago and intends to add a fresh supply of donuts, croissants and pastel de natas to its popular offerings. Although he doesn’t currently have a licence to sell on Luz beach, you can contact him via WhatsApp or Instagram to arrange a delivery from the back of his van.
Ironically, for a donut seller, André’s career did not begin on the beach but on a sporting stage. Born in Lagos, he grew up surrounded by sport and city life. Football played a major part in his youth; he played for Lagos until the age of 15, before moving to Lusitano de Évora whilst he was studying. He later returned to the youth team, eventually training and playing with the first team, rubbing shoulders with the club’s legendary figures such as Paulinho, Carlinhos, Zezinho, Pedro Alexandre, Hugo, Edson and Cartaxo, players he remembers with great respect.
His career continued with the first team, with two seasons in the third division and a spell at Odemira, a club for which he retains great affection. However, the arrival of fatherhood led André to rethink his future. He realised that football was unlikely to provide him with stability and decided to change direction.
Although he had completed his studies in refrigeration engineering, André quickly realised he needed a profession more connected to the public and communication. That was when he discovered the catering industry and began a journey that would eventually lead to the creation of Olha a Bolinha.
Andrés’s USP is his ability to become a performer. He puts it perfectly himself. “In July and August, I am on the stage. I am an actor.” He chose this career path specifically because he wanted a profession that involved public communication and direct interaction with people, particularly children. His playful nature resonates perfectly with his youngest customers. He often gives them Olha a Bolinha merchandise, such as sun hats, t-shirts and temporary tattoos (stamps). Many parents have told him that their children beg them to return to Burgau just to see him. André remembers each of them and has watched many of them grow up as they return year after year.
The secret to the best doughnut in Portugal
I am keen to understand why he attracts such crowds on the beach compared to the other sellers who you see trekking up and down with a heavy cooler around their neck. André did start in this way. “I was the first guy selling donuts in the Vila do Bispo area. Then I had 12 beaches, totalling 300 kilometres. I walked 25 kilometres every day.” However, as more donut sellers came onto the scene, the municipality limited beach sellers and granted rights to only one seller per beach. With Burgau beach as his captive audience, André began developing his brand.
He works with a small factory where the donuts are made by a dedicated pastry chef whom André hires exclusively for the summer. The chef uses a base recipe that André learned from his previous job working as a distributor at a donut factory. However, he attributes his success to his signature practice of delivering fresh batches to the beach twice a day (morning and afternoon), serving freshly fried dough and providing custom fillings on the spot. He offers up to 25 different fillings, ranging from Nutella and Kinder Bueno to a newly introduced local medronho flavour, making sure there is something for everyone. His signature technique of slicing and filling the donuts right in front of the customer ensures they are fresh, warm, and never overly greasy.
I ask him why donuts have become something that is sold on the beach in the Algarve. “It is because the sweetness cancels out the salty taste you get from having swum in the sea. So many have a craving for them while on the beach,” he explains. However, he regrets that it is only worthwhile to sell the donuts on the beach in July and August, during the school holidays, as most adults are too conscious of their beach bodies to indulge!
Beyond the beach
Like his donuts, André has obtained a modicum of fame. He has appeared on Portuguese national television news shows such as RPT1, SIC and TVI. However, it is how his beach trading has turned into real-world friendships that is most important to him. Many of his customers have formed such a bond with him while enjoying the sweet treats that they have even invited him to visit them in their home cities, such as Madrid and Seville. Many of the families he befriends during the summer send him messages at Christmas. Then, a few years ago, a customer gave André a ticket to watch a Benfica match at the Estádio da Luz in Lisbon. He turned this visit into an annual tradition. Now, once a year in December, he drives a van full of his famous donuts up to the capital. He fulfils pre-orders for customers who request them in advance via WhatsApp, allowing people in Lisbon to enjoy “the taste of summer in winter”.
As we are talking about donuts, a car parks in front of us and some young adults get out. André waves at them. “Como é que me conheces?” (How do you know me?) “Da escola”, they reply. It turns out that Andre’s summers on the beach are just the icing on a very large cake! André has also run the school cafeterias at Naus and Gil Eanes in Lagos, so he knows many of the young people there. He still runs the cafeteria at Nobel School in Lagoa. I comment that he seems to love working with kids, “Yes, they don’t possess a bad bone in their body.”
André has his finger in many pies, or should I say cakes. In addition to supplying a range of pastries and donuts, he runs a food truck at Cabo de São Vicente, where he sells hamburgers and other snacks. He also runs a food stall at Lagos Marina during the summer months, where you can sample his famous sweet treats. The next day, he tells me he is at a wedding to raise the guests’ blood sugar while they wait for the food to be served!
A legacy built on connection
As I conclude my chat with André, I have to confess that I have been pleasantly surprised. I came to find out about donuts, but I have been drawn into André’s personal philosophy and joie de vivre. It’s not often in this day and age that you meet someone who so genuinely rejoices in connecting with other humans! His immense success and dedicated following don’t just come from selling a quality product, but from the emotional connections, the energy, and the warm experience he provides to every single person on the beach.
So make sure this summer you head to Burgau to listen for his horn, or head to Andrés new café in Spar in Luz and experience the joy of Olha a Bolinha for yourself.
www.instagram.com/olhaabolinha
Did you know…
The beloved bola de Berlim is a Portuguese adaptation of the German Berliner. Brought to Portugal by Jewish refugees fleeing the Nazis during World War II, it was historically altered by local bakers to feature a rich, yellow doce de ovos (egg cream) filling rather than the traditional berry jam.
