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Maria has worked at the same small bakery in Lisbon for six years, but her job today looks very different from when she started. When she began, the bakery only sold bread and cakes to people who walked in from the street. Now, Maria spends part of her morning answering online orders because the shop started a delivery service last year.
"I used to think I would never enjoy using computers for work," Maria says, laughing. "But now I check orders on a tablet every day, and I have learned to make a simple website too." She still bakes bread the traditional way, though. Every morning at five o'clock, she mixes the dough by hand, just as her grandmother taught her. This part of her job has not changed at all.
Maria's boss, Tomás, opened the bakery twenty years ago. Since then, he has seen the neighbourhood change completely. "When I was young, this street was quiet," he explains. "There were only a few shops, and most customers were local families. Nowadays, tourists visit us all the time, and we sell three times more bread than we did in the past."
Tomás believes that keeping some old traditions is important, even as the business grows. That is why the bakery still uses the same recipe for its famous custard tarts that Tomás's mother created. "If we changed the recipe, our regular customers would be very disappointed," he says. "People come here because the taste reminds them of their childhood."
Next month, the bakery will open a small café next door, where customers can sit and enjoy their pastries with coffee. Maria is excited about this new chapter. "I have already learned so many new skills in this job," she says. "I am sure the café will teach me even more."