Editor’s note: This story was supposed to be exclusive to our subscribers, but as a contribution to those who aspire to undertake and improve the country’s economy, we offer it open to all our audience.

From her grandmother’s hands, Marisol Mero watched her prepare small eggs in the province of Manabí. When she was little, that was her best moment: enjoying sweets. And then Marisol’s love for cakes was born.

Already in his adolescence and youth, he dared to bring sweets to school and college, first for his classmates to taste, and then he became a seller. “I always wanted to have a job, I always had that entrepreneurial streak, then I studied something and worked several jobs,” says Marisol, 38, who surprisingly graduated in economics in Guayaquil.

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And that is that the entrepreneur initially perceived the snack as hobby until she decided to learn pastry making. In addition to this taste, he worked for eleven years as a member of the cabin crew of an airline company. “Since this job gave me days off, I had the opportunity to study and even travel,” says Marisol, who participated in master classes in Chile, Peru and Colombia.

While Marisol was at that job, upon arriving home she prepared snacks for her first customers. He used a baking sheet, a spatula, a bold kitchen, small oven and stand mixer. There was more and more interest in his desserts until it was time to decide: business or business.

So Marisol quit her job and decided on Musa Cacao, her dream, which has been on the Guayaquil market for five years. Creates and prepares signature chocolate candies and adds walnuts, oranges, pistachios, walnuts, raspberries, apples, and more for events like weddings, baptisms, quinceañeras, graduations, and more.

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As in almost any business, those first few months were rewarding until a challenge came: the COVID-19 pandemic. “The pandemic was difficult for everyone. For us who are in that segment, it is complicated because nothing could be done about the events, and it was very difficult. But then the recovery started because there were many events waiting to take place and it was like boom”, says owner Musa Cacao, who points out that uncertainty is added to that.

Marisol Mero employs three people in her workshop. Photo: Carlos Barros. Photo: Space

“This greatly limits people in holding events, when there were exceptional circumstances, we, as always, live day by day, not knowing what will happen. The undertaking is difficult, but when you have that passion, even if it’s difficult, you do it anyway because it’s what you want to do and it’s a pleasure to be able to do it. In the beginning, I did everything very empirically, and over time it was fine-tuned. I didn’t know how much I would need one and the other, I had to wake up. I went to bed at 03:00 and he wakes me up at 06:00, it was hard“, he expresses.

And in 2021, he decided to continue betting and invested more than 20,000 dollars in his business. He rented space for his workshop, which was later expanded. There are two ovens, refrigeration equipment, four industrial mixers and stainless steel tables. And on the top floor: his office.

“I was looking for people who needed sweets for events and so I started appearing at wedding dress fairs, in hotels. He brought samples, little cards and people tried it and it all spread by word of mouth. I remember that a man was at an event where my desserts were and they asked him who made them? and so people came to me“, says Marisol, who is proud of her economic growth, which is between 10% and 15% every year.

Musa Cacao has more than 30 varieties of snacks such as chocolate macaron, crispy black, alfajor, sigh, peanut and canguila tartlet, rosemary tartlet, uvilla nest, among others. Its essence is like the name of your business: cocoa and its products reach the national level.

At the age of 31, the owner of Fulgore has gone from selling her creations to university classmates to owning a local factory and even making clothes for ‘retail’ chains

I used to have one event a month and now there are between ten and twelve a week in high season. Deliveries are made to the home address, and Marisol makes them. This snack maker renews its catalog every two years.

And since it’s a task that requires more help, Marisol has employed three people, which she considers part of her achievements. It’s about two pastry chefs and a kitchen assistant, whom she talks to like best friends. In months of higher demand, Marisol manages to employ four more people. “Every year I set myself sales goals, bonuses for workers, this is important to me because without a team one is nothing, if I grow, we all grow,” says the entrepreneur.

Marisol plans to open a shop in July this year, and the idea is a pastry shop/cafeteria. It will be at the mall. “Today I live from this and thank God I am not doing badly. I was very meticulous with the numbers, I set a salary from the beginning, which I could later increase, and even say: ‘I’m fine with this’. I don’t exceed this value, you have to live with it, and the rest are working capital,” says the young woman.

She suggests that entrepreneurs are always looking for a way to make their dreams come true like she did. “You always have to learn from other people who have already been there, be curious, ask questions, learn, some things I knew and others I didn’t, I bought books, listened to podcasts, anything that could help me. I think that if there is one more person who could do it, then it has already been proven that it is possible”, comments Marisol, who assures that her family supports her and is proud of what she has achieved.