Hello Friends! We’re the Ostmo family, and we love learning about countries and people. Our oldest daughter, Melaya, has tons of friends all around the world! Today we’re going to talk about some different types of businesses out there! 

Julie’s mom Sophisticated Bakery Businesses

The other day, Melaya’s friend Julie who lives in France. Julie told Melaya she was a bit tired because their family bakery was too busy and that she didn’t have enough time to rest. But she was really happy to have some free hot chocolate at the end of the day. Julie said it’s pretty usual to see bakery shops in France since French people love eating pastries of all kinds. Julie’s mother, Lou, has a very busy agenda attending her shop. Bakery shops in France are called “boulangeries” and they sell a lot of different types of not just bread but also sophisticated pastries. Sophisticated means “fancy” or “nice.” In the bakery, Julie’s mother makes all different kinds of pastries and cakes. She also sells classic baguettes every day.

Julie’s mom needs to open the bakery early because in France you can’t start your day with a cup of hot French chocolate with a piece of baguette or a sweet pastry. 

Marco’s Brazil Attraction to new Tourists

Now, over 5,000 miles away from London, we can find Marco’s family business: a wine shop. Marco is Melaya’s friend and he lives in Brazil, which is one of the world’s largest producers of wine and has a long history of wine-making. The country is also known for their outstanding types of grapes. Marco told Melaya that even though he can’t drink wine because he’s still too young,  his father, Augusto, is an expert winemaker who knows which grapes are best for the harvest season, etc.

Marco’s dad is proud of his country and he loves showing off all the different types of wines that they make in Brazil. He also likes people who want to try something new, so he’s always happy to have new customers. 

Do you like to try new things?

Bautista and Marcela Small Business

Over in Argentina, Melaya has a friend named Bruno, who loves Provoleta cheese. Bruno’s obsessed with cheese. He lives with his parents and his younger brother, Fernando. Bruno is the oldest brother and he’s very responsible and compliant, which means he wants to please others in a good way, especially his parents. Bautista, Bruno’s dad, runs a small restaurant with her wife Marcela. 

Bruno’s parents sell the most delicious provoleta cheese and their restaurant is very famous in Argentina. When Bruno’s dad was young, he was very thoughtful on what he wanted to do when he grew up and eventually he decided that he wanted to be a chef and open his own restaurant. 

Have you thought about what you want to be when you grow up?

Valentina’s Dad Owns a Stationery Store

Melaya has a friend named Valentina who lives in Colombia and her dad is the owner of a Stationery store. In the new school year, they didn’t have any basic school supplies. The school provided very few, and it was not enough for all students. Valentina’s dad, Martin had an idea, a Stationery store. Valentina’s dad worked so hard to get some basic school supplies from other bigger stores so he could sell them in his shop. After some time, people started noticing this new store and its great prices on basic school supplies like notebooks, pens, pencils and more. Valentina told Melaya people would go there every week to buy what they needed for school, and what she loves the most is that she doesn’t need to buy school supplies anymore!

Unique woodwork pieces thanks to Enzo’s big brother

Melaya can’t wait to visit Valentina’s stationery shop. Do you know who else is excited to visit her? Enzo lives in Germany and he, Melaya and Valentina are very good friends. Enzo’s big brother is a carpenter, he doesn’t have a place to sell their woodwork like Valentina’s dad, he goes and sells it to customers who can’t find what they want in their shops. Enzo’s brother makes everything by hand, and he’s very proud of his work. He likes to do unique pieces of woodwork like a dining table and chairs for a customer’s new apartment, a desk for his friend’s office, a new kitchen cabinet and even dollhouses! 

Melaya loves to see how their friends’ families are hard-working and creative, she loves to learn about what other people do.

Tell us in the comments what other small businesses we are missing! If you want to learn more about this, make sure to download the activity pack. We have flashcards, a learning guide, handwriting sheets, and drawings pages all dedicated to various businesses around the world!

Melaya loves chatting with kids from all over the world! If you want to teach Melaya about where you live or your favorite activities, please tell your mom or dad to use @learningtail on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok to get in touch with us. 

Ciao friends, until next time!