Cacau Show: CEO's Amusement Park Moves Forward at a Cost of R$ 2 Billion.

Cacau Show: CEO's Amusement Park Moves Forward at a Cost of R$ 2 Billion.

Amid thousands of lawsuits and reports from franchisees who lost everything, the founder and CEO of Cacau Show, Alexandre Tadeu da Costa — known as Alê Costa — is building what promises to be the largest amusement park in Brazil, located in the countryside of São Paulo.

With an investment of R$ 2 billion, the mega-project has been named Cacau Park. The project is an ode to Alê Costa himself and the network he created, which now has over 4,000 stores across Brazil.

The bumper cars, for example, are blue 1988 VW Beetles — a reference to the first car Alê reportedly used to sell chocolates (see images in the gallery below). The project also promises the fastest roller coaster in Latin America and spaces dedicated to Cacau Show’s most popular products.

Since announcing the project in 2024, Alê Costa has adopted elements in his wardrobe that reference the iconic character Willy Wonka. Much like the eccentric chocolatier created in the 1960s by British author Roald Dahl, Alê Costa now wears a top hat, dark velvet suits, and carries a cane.

Employees and former employees directly involved in the design and construction of the amusement park told this column that the Cacau Show CEO is in a hurry. So much so that workers are subjected to exhausting routines, under intense pressure to complete phases — often at the expense of quality and the safety of the future facilities. There are also reports of contract breaches and violations of labor rights.