For Iván Ontanedo Berrú from Loja – born in Cariamanga – cacao is synonymous with Ecuador. He believes in the transparency of business and that the word is still valid in the world of cocoa, which he entered in 1998, when he left coffee and made a 180-degree turn. Although the store has always been in his DNA, even as a child – he made his first earnings at the age of 9 -, now that he is 55 years old, this businessman, who is also a lover of music, dance and risky sports, does not let go of that impudence and sharpen your “GPS” for new jobs.

How did you start your entrepreneurial journey?

My first coffee trips were when I was 10 years old, in my father’s coffee warehouses, I bought in Loja, and the coffee came to Guayaquil and was processed. After I started studying, I always had a commercial soul, my first job was a magazine rental, I loved reading comics about Batman, Superman, etc.

How old were you and who did you rent to?

I was 9 years old. I rented it to friends. My father used to buy magazines for me in a famous bookstore that has already closed in Guayaquil, Muñoz Hermanos; I would compare magazines, read them and want more. He had no less than 100 sports magazines and comics, sorts and that was my job. I hired them for 20 or 50 sucre cents and I made my first piggy bank which allowed me to reinvest in the business and make a profit.

When I was 13 years old, I taught mathematics and earned 5 sucres an hour, that was my beginnings in business. It is a family heritage, a business family, entrepreneurs, visionaries and a lot of work; and I always saw before me the works and the fulfillment of the word.

When did you formally start as an entrepreneur?

In 1991, I started at Exportadora Ontaneda, a family business; and my first job was a weigher, that was the least I could do there and I started the transition from a weigher to a yard manager, I went to the port, I didn’t really like doing those jobs, but that’s how they trained me, I had to learn everything tasks. At first, like all young people, I wanted to sit in management, but these teachings were fundamental and later I realized why it was important. In 1993, I became independent and founded my company Ecocafé. In three years, in 1996, it was already among the three largest companies in the country.

Coffee went through a huge crisis in the 90s.

Coffee was already falling, production was very difficult, diseases, there were no public or private policies, we had to think about the future. When I was 25 years old, I always commented to the exporters at the time: coffee is like a cow, it is milked, but if you don’t feed it, the cow will go off, they stared at me.

How did you decide to change your job to cocoa?

I traveled to Germany in 1997 to the largest coffee company in the world, the president of the company told me: Iván, I think the coffee business for Ecuador is dead. Leaving that office, I went to a coffee shop and decided to switch to cocoa. It was the best decision I made, I finished my trip, returned to Ecuador and created EcoKakao in 1998.

Is the coffee business dead?

With tears, I watched the coffee fall, in Jipijapa, in Loja, because it was not a business, it was more expensive to pay someone to pick it than to pay me for a can of coffee. Not cocoa, cocoa is still a viable business.

25 years later, how is Ecokakao?

We have the protocols and processes of all multinational companies. We made a new investment in Los Ríos, it is one of the most modern factories in Latin America and it is Ecuadorian; and these are investments that were made despite the problematic situation, we invested 4.5 million dollars.

Dreams must be accompanied by action. In life, you should be serious and daring, that positive daring, the one that moves you. You need to be smart, to understand what the country is like, to weigh positive and negative things.

What was your experience as a minister?

It was very difficult for me, because when you want to go north, there are people who want to go south. There are very good and capable public officials, there are also officials who are politically inclined and who are not committed, not to the minister, but to the state. I started to take care of myself, to see who would step on your leg, it was complex, but despite that we made a lot of progress.

What positive did you get?

I had the opportunity not to think about the square meter, about the selfish comfort that we sometimes have, but I could understand the country. The decisions that were made were based on the land, many even against the interests of businessmen or people close to me, because I had created an attachment to the land. I don’t know if the decisions were bad or good, and history will judge that.

If you were asked to be a minister again, would you accept?

No, the state can be supported in many ways and today I am 100% involved in projects, in work, I think I also create employment here.

What does the future hold for Ecokakao?

We will make a new investment, a new factory now in Durán. Ecokakao will be a 100% sustainable and sustainable company by 2025.

If you were talking to your eight-year-old self, what would you say?

Keep dreaming, never stop dreaming, believe in everything, be kind to people, never argue in any business, sometimes the business works and sometimes it doesn’t.

Have you had an argument about work?

I was annoyed by people who did not please me, but I did not come to fight.

What dreams does Iván Ontaneda have?

I have two dreams: one is to retire to my beach house and cook, paint and surf. I will do it. And another dream is to be the singer of a band rock, I don’t rule it out either.