Each month we want to give you the chance to find out a bit more about one of our amazing stallholders.
This month we are putting the spotlight on the wonderful lads from Sardinha Cork.
What can we find at your amazing stall?
Handbags, wallets, and accessories handmade from Portuguese cork. Cork is a natural and sustainable material that is extracted by experts in Portugal without harming the cork oak tree. Cork fabric is as durable as leather but is much softer, lighter, water-resistant, and easy to clean.
Why do you love markets?
It’s the perfect opportunity for people to experience our product first-hand.
Whilst cork handbags can be found in boutique stores all over Portugal, it’s still a new concept in Australia. Once people pick up one of our cork bags and feel how soft and light they are, they fall in love with it.
What are you reading right now?
I also work in marketing in the film industry, so I read a lot of scripts. I just read two this week. One was a thriller about a cult in Berlin and another was set in the future where civilisation has developed a pill to eliminate the need for sleep.
Favourite savoury food…
Growing up on a Portuguese diet, I love freshly grilled or barbecued seafood. I also have a weakness for crispy fried chicken.
Favourite sweet treat…
I’m lucky not to have much of a sweet tooth but I can’t say no to a Pastel de Nata (Portuguese Tart) or two.
Best bingeworthy TV show…
I just finished binging “The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window” with Kristen Bell on Netflix and it was a lot of fun. And the sequel to Sex and The City “And Just Like That” was surprisingly good too.
Favourite holiday spot…
I love Portugal. I was supposed to go in 2020 but COVID had different ideas. Portugal is so rich in heritage and relatively inexpensive compared to the rest of Europe and the people are so friendly. My dad is from a little village in the north of Portugal near Porto which is a stunning city on the river. My mum is from the Azores which is an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean which is about a 3-hour flight from Portugal. We’re hopefully going hiking there this year.
Do you have any pets?
We have three dogs. A Shar-Pei named Lola and two pugs named Oscar and Hugo. They’re our world.
What would be your perfect night in?
I would normally say a glass of Rosé in hand, watching a movie with our dogs snuggling at our feet but that has become a normal evening due to COVID. So probably having friends over for dinner and playing board games.
Favourite quote or saying…
A few years ago, I bought a vintage poster at a market that said “If you can imagine it, you can create it. If you can dream it, you can become it.”
This was my inspiration to start Sardinha.
Well now I want to see the films of the scripts you read! Although a society with no sleep sounds terrifying! 😳