Laura had a dream to create a business selling empanadas, the popular handheld South American snack made from soft dough and stuffed with a variety of tasty fillings.
And not just any empanadas, either—she wanted to sell the kind typical of her Colombian homeland. This presented a challenge, since during the pandemic Laura had sought refuge by moving to Ecuador, where people have entirely different tastes.
“I had heard that Ecuadoreans don’t really like Colombian cuisine, that they prefer the traditional Ecuadorian empanadas,” she recalls of the worry that her goodies wouldn’t be received well.
The entrepreneur pushed past her doubts and secured a Kiva loan to open her brightly-colored food stall in downtown Ibarra—and found that her Colombian empanadas were an instant hit with the locals.
“I have been pleasantly surprised, because my best customers are from Ecuador. In fact, all of my customers are Ecuadorian!”
Help other women realize their dreams
‘Not just any empanada’
Before we go any further with Laura’s story, it’s important to note the sheer variety among South American empanadas. Each country has its own culinary take on this traditional handheld snack, which originated in northern Spain (the verb “empanar’ means “to coat in bread”) and evolved as different Latin American communities embraced the half moon-shaped form.
In Argentina, the dough is made from wheat flour; in Venezuela, they use corn. While most come filled with seasoned beef, plantains, and/or olives, Chilean empanadas are stuffed with seafood. In Ecuador, cheese is the most popular filling. Some prefer their empanadas baked; others like them fried. There are even sweet empanadas for dessert!
"I felt happy because I was finally able to accomplish this dream – it had been a dream of mine to have a business selling Colombian empanadas... and with the help... I was able to make this a reality."
In Caldas, Colombia where Laura grew up, empanadas de morocho are prepared with a fine flour made from white corn and stuffed with meat, potatoes and/or rice, then fried to crispy perfection. The distinctive recipe brings a certain comfort to Laura, who traveled almost a thousand kilometers to find her new home.
“My mom would always prepare empanadas when we had family gatherings, so these empanadas always evoked this sentimental memory of family, family traditions,” she says, smiling at the memories.
“It’s not just any kind of empanada.”
Though she had never thought of opening a restaurant before she and husband moved to Ibarra, her new friends’ compliments about her cooking gave her confidence, and her empanada dream began to take shape.
Displaced by the pandemic
While the entire world suffered from the effects of COVID-19, Colombia experienced a particularly tough time: The death rate over 100,000 people was ranked 22 out of 187 countries, and its economy was hit with its worst recession in history. Unemployment, inflation, and other factors forced many people like Laura and her husband to look for more prosperous lives elsewhere.
“It really started as a result of the pandemic—like a lot of people, we weren’t employed, and we had to see what we could do,” describes Laura of those first few months. “And I said, “‘Well, I can make empanaditas, which we can sell.’”
Her husband Walcenibier had a motorcycle, so they began by delivering empanadas. Laura knew she wanted to open a storefront, but had trouble finding capital through traditional banks. That was when she came across CACMU, one of Kiva’s Lending Partners in Ecuador, which brings financial services to underserved women and their families.
With a Kiva loan, Laura was able to invest in everything she needed for her shop: Cooking equipment, a cooler, a display case to show off her wares, and of course, the ingredients essential to her special empanadas de morocho.
“We like to buy wholesale…it allows us to have sufficient quantities of what we need, and it makes more economic sense,” she explains of how her loan allowed her to stock up on inventory. “It has benefited me a ton.”
“It really started as a result of the pandemic—like a lot of people, we weren’t employed, and we had to see what we could do."
The funds also went towards hiring a young woman to help with sales, which Laura says is another objective of starting her business. “I really like this ability to provide employment, because there are many individuals who need work.”
In the year since receiving the loan, Laura has been such an exemplary borrower and success story that CACMU invited her to represent her business at a recent information fair.
“When they came to invite me and tell me that I was one of the people chosen to participate in the fair, it was incredibly exciting for me. I even cried!” she remembers.
“It was really exciting, because it was the first time I had participated in such an event in my life, so I felt really proud of myself.”
Creating jobs for others
Though the reception for her Colombian-style snacks has been overwhelmingly positive, Laura remains humble about 'perfecting the art of empanadas.'
“As I said, the empanadas were more of a tradition from where I’m from, and we had only really made them for family gatherings, Christmas, etcetera,” she explains.
“But now that I’m doing them for the public, for customers, every day I am getting better, improving.”
Her shop is bustling thanks to its prime location across the street from a school, so she has added pizzas, hot dogs, and other items to give her Ecuadorian customers even more variety. She’d like to buy a colorful sign with photos of her food and place it prominently outside, “BIG so that people can see!”
‘We’re living through difficult times, a pandemic that has left so many people unemployed, and I myself was unemployed, so I know the needs of those people.”
Laura attributes her success in achieving her dream—in a new country nonetheless—to her Kiva loan as well her faith and perseverance. When asked about what other plans she has for her enterprise, she responds thoughtfully.
“I’ve always wanted to be able to grow and scale in order to be able to provide more jobs.
“We’re living through difficult times, a pandemic that has left so many people unemployed, and I myself was unemployed, so I know the needs of those people.”
