After suffering domestic violence, a former rural worker turns things around and becomes successful selling fine sweets

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Maria José de Lima, better known as Mazé, has made money from making sweets in Carmópolis de Minas (MG). The enterprise employs dozens of women. From traditional paçoca to glazed sweets, Maria José de Lima’s sweet shop, Mazé, is a real success in the region of Carmópolis de Minas, a city located approximately 110 km from the capital Belo Horizonte (MG). Despite the simple store, the clientele is numerous. From North to South, residents from all over Brazil place orders and even pay shipping to receive the delicacies at their doorstep. The entire team dedicated to producing the sweets is made up of women, who help Mazé meet demand and have free time for other activities, such as participating in lectures and writing books. Anyone who sees the confectioner’s success cannot imagine how many difficulties she has faced throughout her life. Before becoming an entrepreneur, Mazé lived in the countryside, without electricity. At seven years old, the confectioner was already cooking and cleaning. At the time, her family maintained a small dairy farm. With such difficulty, even the dream of a better life was limited. Without much perspective, Mazé continued to work on coffee and rice plantations. Abusive relationship Three years later, the hitherto rural worker saw the opportunity to leave her painful life through marriage. The groom, a city boy, was 14 years older than her. Despite the union, the “fairy tale” was soon taken over by constant fights and episodes of domestic violence. Domestic violence in the countryside: what prevents women from reporting and receiving assistance? Before filing for divorce, Mazé worked as a cleaner at a financial institution. The job brought sustenance to the family, but made living with her husband unsustainable. The trigger for the end of the relationship was betrayal. It took a while for Mazé to get back on her feet and turn things around. Sweeter life Even though she was unemployed, she dreamed again. This time, with some borrowed change, she bought ingredients to prepare peanut sweets and sell them on the streets of the small town in Minas Gerais. The initiative paved the way for Mazé to venture into an enterprise. Improving herself with courses from the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) and Empretec, she soon expanded the variety of sweets. With her first savings, the entrepreneur bought stoves and land to build her store/factory and increase production. Today, with the help of his children, the place even has an instant steam generator. For Mazé, in addition to hard work, the secret to success in the business was having a good supplier of ingredients. The oranges used to prepare the sweets are organic, grown by producer Gutemberg Prudente de Assis. Every year, around 10 tons of the fruit are used to prepare delicacies. Patience is also important! The preparation of sweets involves several steps, from dipping the fruit in syrup to cooking, explains Cidinha Silveira, who has worked with Mazé for 20 years. When ready, homemade sweets shine and show that, in fact, simple is complex. Theatrical play script Between ups and downs, the life of the rural worker who overcame difficulties and became a great entrepreneur in the food industry became a play script. Produced by performing arts students at a school in São Paulo, the work even includes the episode in which Mazé’s house and factory were vandalized by her ex-partner. During the divorce process, the confectioner even paid alimony to her ex-husband, who passed away a few years ago. Check out the full report in the videos above. See Globo Rural’s most watched videos

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