Beatriz Porto of Porto’s Bakery & Café in Southern California holds dearly the words of her mother and the bakery’s founder, Rosa Porto, who said: “For every challenge, we learn something.”

What Beatriz Porto says her family’s bakery learned most of all from the pandemic is the importance of people and giving back to the community.

“We are blessed. We learned so much,” she says with great humility.

Giving back to the Southern California community has always been an integral part of their mission. “Porto’s Bakery was born out of Rosa Porto’s love for sharing her wonderful cakes and pastries with friends and family.”

One influential consumer trend, according to Adrian Porto, is that consumers want to try something new in store that they first saw online. “We offer a lot of ‘gram worthy products,” he points out. “Social media is now for inspiration. Now the bar is here,” Porto says, lifting his right arm above his head. “Everyone is so aware. That wow factor has to be there – always!”

Today, Beatriz Porto explains how they give back to numerous organizations, such as the San Fernando Valley Mission Rescue and a new partnership with the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles. In addition, Porto’s conducts fundraisers for groups such as AltaMed, which provides free cancer screenings for patients.

“That’s the power of giving,” Beatriz Porto says. “You get back so much love. We are always trying do something for the people in need.”