Thirty Years in Business

Writer and Photographer: Iva Poshnjari, Xue Bo

Joe Costa's journey as an immigrant to Canada and now an established business owner has given him a lot of admiration for this country and its opportunities

Joe Costa arrived in Toronto in 1974 with his parents and younger brother. The family were slowly integrating into the Portuguese-Canadian community.

Costa would go on to obtain his electrician licence while his brother started his own food equipment company. The idea to open up a bakery together presented itself as Costa was working on a side project. While fixing some electrical problems for a friend's bakery, his brother proposed they start their own. Costa responded by saying, “You’re crazy, we don’t know anything about bakeries.”

Costa shares his immigration experience at the Caldense Bakery on Symington Ave, one of his 15 bakeries across the GTA/Sherry Bo

What followed for the Costa brothers was a 30-year run in business and a flourishing bakery chain--the Caldense. Through the years they’ve employed many members of their community, shared the Portuguese culture with the rest of the GTA and made food people enjoy. Costa explains that to make it to where he is today he had to sacrifice a lot. He says that “you have to give something up and basically what I gave up at the beginning was my freedom, my life in a way. I was doing 18 to 20 hours a day. On weekends I didn't even go home. What you put in is eventually what you get out.”

In order to see Caldense succeed Costa tried to employ people who really loved what they did. "If you were involved with Caldense you weren’t just there for wages," he would tell his employees, "fine yeah, you need the money, but since you’re there, be good at it, learn something.” It was this kind of work ethic that laid the foundation for this bakery and paved the road for these two young immigrant

You’re crazy. We don’t know anything about bakeries.

---Joe Costa

Portugal’s traditional dessert--- Quiche Tart /Sherry Bo

brothers to succeed. Their philosophy has always been “ if you see something and you wouldn’t eat it, don’t serve it. If it’s no good for you, it’s no good for the customer.” Coming from humble beginnings, Costa credits Canada as a place that gave him a lot. “It’s a country that gives you the opportunity to be successful. Canada gives you that chance to grow and to be good at something. You have to want it though. You have to devote yourself to it.” His advice to new immigrants is to come with the mindset of really working for your goals.

He also explains that being an electrician by trade helped his business out financially. When equipment shut down, Costa would be the one to fix it. This kept more of business profits within the company because they didn’t need to call in experts. Costa says “I’m not a baker, I’m an electrician but if I’m going to tell someone to do something, I know it’s something I can do myself. I can bake every pastry in this place."

The future for Caldense bakery is bright. The brothers are about to open up a factory that will supply all their bakeries and increase their profits. “It’s the next step, we will be ready to mass-produce custard cups.” With this kind of dedication and drive, Costa and his brother continue to use their culture, cuisine and work ethic to contribute to Canada’s multicultural scene.

Caldense's employee carrying freshly baked cupcakes/Sherry Bo