He brought the business model he saw in the United States to his country: established a profit network with 636 branches.

Brazilian entrepreneur Angelo Max Donaton achieved a striking success by bringing to life a business model he had seen on an overseas trip in his own country.

Inspired by the self‑service laundromats common in the United States, Donaton thought the same system could work in Brazil. Instead of launching the investment immediately, he studied the model for about two years and prepared to adapt it to his country's conditions.

Following these efforts, he opened the first Lavô store in the city of Balneário Camboriú, Santa Catarina, in 2019.

Clothes are washed and dried in about an hour.

In Lavô's business model, customers perform all their transactions themselves without any staff assistance. Customers who place their clothes in the machines pay through automatic payment kiosks.

In establishments that use industrial washing and drying machines, the entire process can be completed in about an hour.

The lack of need to keep staff permanently in stores emerges as one of the system's most important advantages. With remotely managed businesses, personnel and salary costs are cut while service can be offered seven days a week.

The number of branches reached 636.

After the opening of its first store, Lavô spread to different states and today has become a network of 636 branches. The company aims to raise the number of stores to about 680 by the end of 2026.

Lavô's growth also reflected in the business world rankings in which the company is listed. The brand ranked third among 177 companies with revenues between 5 million and 30 million Brazilian reais on the Expanding Business list.

By adapting a service model it encountered in the United States to the Brazilian market, Donaton has become the name behind a nationwide self‑service laundromat chain.