The Alchemist

The story of my family has its origins in the strength of two immigrant men. My paternal great-grandparents:

Aaron Cohen, a rabbi who came from Syria with his wife Emilia and settled in Rosario, Argentina. Years later, their youngest son, Avraham Cohen, migrated to Brazil in search of new job opportunities.

Motel Broder and Leah Broder, came from Russia, a city called Brodie, which later originated my surname, Broder. They arrived in Santos, established themselves as important merchants and had a daughter called Sulamit.

The fate of these two young people joined at the wedding of Avraham and Sulamit and in the birth of my father, Jacques Broder Cohen. He had a natural gift for business and went on to establish himself as a perfumer. From there he continued to develop, not only in the perfume market as a successful merchant, but also never forgetting his roots. His first company, The Alchemist, had a logo of an alchemist rabbi with a laboratory vial!