The first store of a multi-award-winning Rosario alfajores brand is coming

She started her business in the midst of a global and personal crisis in her kitchen in Rosario, won all the awards in the country, and is now working on an expansion plan that will allow her to take her star product – an oatmeal and dulce de leche alfajor that can be customized with numerous variations – to the rest of the country and, why not, cross the border. This is how you could sum up the story of Natalia Ferreyra, who started her business as an amateur pastry chef, in order to support her family when the pandemic found her without work. In a few days, Ferreyra will open the first location of her brand, Morganain the Pichincha neighborhood.

The space that they are building at their leisure in Crespo at 200 is one of the formal requirements to obtain municipal and provincial permits that will enable them to increase the production of Morgana (Ferreyra talks about doubling and even tripling the current volume, up to 4,000 alfajores per month) .

In fact, for the moment the 40 m2 space will operate under the take away format, but Morgana’s production will be moved to the same facilities, which until now was carried out in the entrepreneur’s home.

In addition to picking up orders or buying on the go, the brand will debut a new feature at the store: the possibility of customizing the alfajores to the taste of each consumer, using a wide variety of ingredients.

The store will be run by Natalia in association with two women, while one of her partners is in charge of the administration and the other is an investor. “One of Morgana’s objectives is to offer possibilities to other women, for example, today three women help me in production. Once we start production at the premises, the idea is to incorporate more people,” explained the entrepreneur. The projects do not end locally: Ferreyra dreams of forming a network of franchises that allows it to have a presence inside and outside.

A champion alfajor

So far, Morgana has been collecting awards. The last one was a few weeks ago, when he was awarded third place in the healthy Alfajor category at the Argentine Alfajor ChampionshipLast year he was awarded the best triple dulce de leche in the competition organized by the Argentine Regional Cuisine Association (Acra)That same year, in the National Alfajor Festival took third place for its innovative nature.

What sets Morgana apart? Everything is artisanal, from the ingredients to the production, but mainly it is an alfajor whose dough is made of oats, Ferreyra’s personal touch. “We are not aiming for mass distribution, we want to differentiate ourselves, so that when people try the alfajores, they feel the difference,” Ferreyra explained.

Since it is homemade and does not contain preservatives, it has an expiration date of thirty days. “That is why we do not stock up, we want the alfajor to be as fresh as possible. I received messages from different parts of the country from people who want to resell, but due to issues such as the production process and durability, it is not convenient for us to have distributors for now,” he explained in conversation with Point biz Natalia Ferreyra.

What’s coming

Once the authorization has been obtained, the objective next year is to export to neighboring countries such as Uruguay, Chile and Brazil through the Argentine Chamber of Alfajorand locate a place with a different feel in downtown Rosario, designed for those customers looking to sit down and eat an alfajor accompanied by a coffee.

For now, the focus is on rosary beads and surrounding areas. They reach the rest of the country through events such as a fair in San Juan in August and Puerto Madryn in September. From July 6th to 9th Morgana will be at the expo Paths and flavors, the Gastronomic Fair where Santa Fe Expone will have stands.

Entrepreneurship that saves

Natalia worked in Telecom until 2015, when she was fired. With two children and one on the way, she started making cakes at her house for events. Then, she was hit twice: her youngest son was diagnosed with a severe neurodevelopmental disorder, and her sister died.

Then the pandemic arrived and with it, the suspension of events, so the demand for cakes completely decreased. With her training in creative pastry and different courses she took in 2021, she found a way and aimed at the production and marketing of alfajores, where she found a niche in the market.

From there he participated in competitions and won several prizes. She expanded flavors and grew little by little. Her business was named after her, until she devoted herself to alfajores and decided to change her name to Morgana, a Celtic goddess who is associated with self-improvement. “Morgana saved my life. I feel that she reflects my story and she honors my sister and my son,” the entrepreneur concluded.