{"id":982425,"date":"2026-08-05T13:57:28","date_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:57:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/982425\/"},"modified":"2026-08-05T13:57:28","modified_gmt":"2026-08-05T13:57:28","slug":"heres-why-north-redondo-beach-should-be-known-as-little-brazil","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/982425\/","title":{"rendered":"Here’s why North Redondo Beach should be known as Little Brazil"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Over the course of 39 days and 104 matches, locals in Los Angeles County donned their brightly colored jerseys during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, representing the assortment of cultures that call Los Angeles home. <\/p>\n

On Metro buses, at viewing parties and on a nearly two-mile stretch of Artesia Boulevard \u2014 the commercial core in my North Redondo Beach neighborhood \u2014 the jerseys that often dominated the scene on game days were canary yellow with green trim \u2014 the colors of Brazil.<\/p>\n

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With a population of about 66,000, Redondo Beach is home to a little more than 400 Brazilian residents, ranking fifth among Los Angeles County\u2019s 86 cities for its Brazilian population, behind much larger cities like Torrance, Santa Clarita, Long Beach and Los Angeles, according to Neilsberg, a market research and advisory company<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"Sandy <\/p>\n

Sandy Mattice heads to Hi Brazil, a Brazilian market in Redondo Beach on July 31. <\/p>\n

(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

But the heart of the Brazilian community is in North Redondo Beach. <\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s time to recognize this neighborhood as Southern California\u2019s \u201cLittle Brazil,\u201d not necessarily due to its Brazilian population but also for its thriving commercial district that draws Brazilians from across the state to buy traditional Brazilian foods, converse in their native language and feel closer to home. <\/p>\n

What makes this neighborhood so authentically Brazilian<\/p>\n

North Redondo Beach is home to five Brazilian-owned businesses, notably Hi Brazil, a specialty market that celebrated 30 years in operation this year. Located nearby is Panelas Brazilian Cuisine, an eatery that made The Times 101 Best Restaurants in L.A.<\/a> guide in 2023. <\/p>\n

Surrounded by kitchen staples \u2014 including cases of the soft drink Guaran\u00e1 Antarctica, packets of farofa cassava flour and frozen bags of p\u00e3o de queijo or Brazilian cheese bread \u2014 Ketrin Ofilada owner of Hi Brazil told me she hustled since she bought the shop in 2013 to build her community and customer base.<\/p>\n

Under its previous owner, Hi Brazil primarily sold clothing and offered a remittance service so locals could send money to their families back in Brazil. When Ofilada took over, she said she and her husband remodeled the space to curate a specialty store that sold Brazilian food, candy, perfume and makeup.<\/p>\n

Ofilada built her current following by word-of-mouth.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re Brazilian, and you tell me \u2018I\u2019m going to do a birthday party at my house,\u2019 I was there with my table and business cards,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For a year, Ofilada would go to house parties, community events and festivals with a table full of products to catch the eye of any and all local Brazilians in Los Angeles and beyond. <\/p>\n

Now Hi Brazil draws customers from as far as San Diego, as well as Brazilians in other states who order her products through her online website. <\/p>\n

A feeling of \u2018saudade\u2019<\/p>\n

The Portuguese word customers have used to describe Ofilada\u2019s store is \u201csaudade.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cSaudade\u201d doesn\u2019t translate directly to English because it has many meanings including a deep sense of nostalgia for something that you may never see or experience again. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople don\u2019t come here to buy an item that they may not find in the U.S., it\u2019s more about the memory,\u201d Ofilada told me. <\/p>\n

\"A <\/p>\n

Customer Roseane Dias talks about what she likes about shopping at Hi Brazil, a Brazilian market in Redondo Beach. <\/p>\n

(Genaro Molina \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

She hopes her shop evokes a feeling of Brazil with her inventory but also with the Portuguese music that fills her store and the sound of her Brazilian employees speaking Portuguese. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have people that when they walk in and we\u2019re talking Portuguese because everybody\u2019s from Brazil, they start crying,\u201d Ofilada said. \u201cThey\u2019ve said, \u2018Oh my God! It\u2019s been so long since I\u2019ve heard someone speak [the language].\u201d <\/p>\n

In her pursuit to find a place that felt like her home in Brazil, Roseane Dias, 24, told me on a recent Friday that she often drove more than an hour from Porter Ranch to North Redondo Beach to visit the specialty store. <\/p>\n

Her first visit was in 2024, when she moved to the Greater Los Angeles area from southern Brazil for work. Dias recently moved to nearby Gardena, so she frequents Hi Brazil more often.<\/p>\n

A Google search of forums and listings led her to Hi Brazil because, \u201cit was the most known,\u201d specialty store and had the greatest variety of items that reminded her of home, Dias said. <\/p>\n

The five businesses that bring together the Brazilian community fall within the city\u2019s 4th and 5th district, represented by Redondo Beach City Councilmembers Zein Obagi Jr. and Scott Behrendt. <\/p>\n

How to designate the neighborhood \u2018Little Brazil\u2019<\/p>\n

Obagi said no one has yet suggested recognizing the Brazilian community in North Redondo Beach but he would not be opposed to it. \u201cI\u2019d be happy to recognize them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting official recognition as \u201cLittle Brazil\u201d is possible through the California Arts Council which has designated 24 cultural districts<\/a> throughout the state. <\/p>\n

All that is required is a well-defined geographic area with a high concentration of cultural resources and activities. <\/p>\n

This is my small plea to get North Redondo Beach on the map as \u201cLittle Brazil.\u201d<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s top stories \"The <\/p>\n

Investigators view the Edison equipment as the possible origin of the Eaton fire on Feb. 11, 2025.<\/p>\n

(Allen J. Schaben \/ Los Angeles Times)<\/p>\n

The source of the Eaton fire<\/p>\n