Hear
Leonardo and Valentina, a young Colombian couple decided to emigrate to the United States in search of a better quality of life for themselves and their child. They moved to Chicago, Illinois, where they faced the challenges of adapting to a new culture and economy. However, his entrepreneurial spirit led them to create a successful business based on Colombian and “100% Latin” gastronomy.
The arrival in the city of Illinois was not without difficulties. Without a stable job and with the responsibility of raising their son, they both first accepted any job they could get. They worked in construction, at local businesses, and even shoveled snow from houses in the winter. However, these jobs did not allow them to dedicate the necessary time to their family, which led them to look for an alternative.
The latinos They decided to start their own car wash business over the summer.but with the arrival of winter and the decrease in demand, they looked for new opportunities.
The need to balance work and family inspired the couple to venture into food sales. They started from home by cooking Colombian-style stuffed arepas, which they then sold door to door. or to customers who picked up their orders. The reception was positive and business began to prosper quickly.
Taking advantage of their growing popularity, Leonardo and Valentina They expanded their menu to include Colombian tamales, even though neither of us had cooked them before. The demand for their products led them to add more characteristic dishes such as sausages and classic desserts, like fruit salad.
The food business, which operated mainly on weekends, from Friday to Sunday, It was promoted through social networks, especially TikTok. Leonardo shared videos of his adaptation process and entrepreneurship, which went viral. The interaction on social networks and the quality of their traditional recipes assured them a loyal clientele in Chicago.
“I had already left my other conventional jobs, but My wife did continue her job in a company normally.“said the tiktoker. They had so many recipes under their belt that they couldn’t offer them at the same time, which is why each weekend was different on their calendar.
In one of his videos shared on social media, Leonardo detailed the profits of his business. As he explained, he produces around 50 tamales per day, of which 45 are put up for sale. Each one sells for $12, generating a total income of $540 per day. Ingredient costs total approximately US$162 and he pays US$80 to his main helper, his grandmother. After subtracting these expenses, The young man obtains a net profit of US$300 per day.
The popularity of the Colombian tamale was so great that the couple decided to take their product to other cities. They embarked on what they called the “tamales route” when traveling to Orlando, Floridaand spread to other cities such as Tampa, Ft. Myers, Naples and Miami. This expansion not only allowed them to increase their income, but also share Colombian culinary culture with more people in the US.
“This is what we have dedicated ourselves to from the moment we decided to undertake and this has been the driving force of all our endeavors,” he concluded. The success of Leonardo and Valentina has not only been financial, but also cultural. They have managed to position Colombian food in a diverse and competitive market like the American one.
THE NATION
