For decades, Sequeira Bakery has been a quiet landmark in Mapusa market, where the aroma of wood-fired ovens greets every visitor. Veda Raut of The Goan explores the family behind the sweets, the biscuits, and the timeless recipes that have kept Goa’s flavours alive for generations.
For generations, Sequeira Bakery has stood as a quiet constant in Mapusa market, a place locals grew up with almost without realising it. Many of today’s adults can still picture their younger selves holding a parent’s hand, stretching to glance over the counter at rows of coconut sweets, warm biscuits, and the day’s fresh bakes. The shop still retains that same pull.
Nostalgic rush
Fridays bring the familiar rush, and the rest of the week never feels empty either. People stop by on their way to work, on their way back, or simply while wandering through the market, some to pack Goa sweets for loved ones abroad, others just looking for a small treat to keep them company as they browse the stalls.
Origins
This bakery has its origins in the 1940s, long before the Mapusa market became what it is today. Its beginnings trace back to a young boy, Remedio Sequeira’s grandfather, who started baking at just 13, walking around the village with baskets of bread and coconut biscuits. “In those days, bread wasn’t available so easily, my grandfather began working when he was very young,” says Remedio Sequeira, the third-generation owner of Sequeira Bakery.
His father continued the trade, and when Remedio took over in 1965, it marked the start of many new additions to the counters at Mapusa market. “My father used ovens from my grandfather, and now I use the same old traditional tile-baked ovens. These ovens make the best pav and bread, the taste comes out better that way,” he says.
Morning prep
Even today, the bakery’s day begins long before sunrise. Inside the Sequeira family home in Socorro, the morning quiet is broken by the sound of logs being arranged and the first flames catching. “We wake up at 5 am and start baking straight away,” Remedio says. “We still use our wood-fired ovens, the taste comes out better that way.”
By 8.30 am, the day’s batches, all infused with the unmistakable aroma of firewood, are ready to be taken to the shop in Mapusa. His wife Selina works shoulder to shoulder with him, organising, managing, and overseeing. “We run it together,” he says.
Varying bakes
Their shelves are filled with varieties of biscuits, traditional sweets, and morning bread—each carrying its own distinct flavour and texture shaped by recipes passed down through generations. “Most of our recipes are unchanged,” Remedio says.
Though the world around them has changed, the bakery’s rhythm has stayed steady. “Things have improved now, business has grown compared to before,” Remedio reflects. Even tourists find their way to the shop each season. “We get foreign guests too, especially during the season,” he adds.
Modern challenges
But he knows the challenges well. Ingredients prices rise, traditional shops compete with cafés and branded bakeries, and younger generations move abroad. “Small local shops are disappearing,” he says. “Many youngsters go abroad, but if they stay and start something here, there is good potential. A family business gives stability and pride.”
Festive treats
As Christmas approaches, the bakery enters its busiest phase. Their shelves are lined with jujubes, pinagr, kulkuls, neuris, dodol, bebinca, almond cake, date rolls, and much-loved plum cake. “The day before festival, we barely take a break. We bake bebinca, date rolls, everything,” he says. Some travellers pick up homemade treats to carry home.
Family legacy
Even after so many years and so many mornings of kneading dough and arranging firewood, Remedio still finds pride in continuing the legacy that began generations ago. And with his son now involved, the family hopes to carry the handmade batch-after-batch tradition far into the future.
