Fifteen months ago, Denisse Taco, together with her husband and three children, made one of the most difficult decisions in her life: she left the country in search of a better future. He has been living in New York ever since, and his father joined him months later.

Everyone says that they have a visa and that their status is legal, but they want to come back at some point. Despite the crime wave in Ecuador and “everything you hear”, she misses her homeland, and misses her jaguar even more.

“We migrated with the whole family, children, husband, even father. In Ecuador, the business (selling seafood) was not going well and we decided to leave.”says Denisse, originally from Quito.

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After arriving in New York, after working for a while in cleaning jobs, they wanted to continue their work. For months, together with her husband and father, they sold bundles of crabs and shellfish in Brooklyn and Queens, New York and New Jersey counties.

“In Ecuador we sold fish, shrimps, crabs, and here there are only crabs and shellfish. What was difficult for us in the beginning was the management, how to bring them in,” says Denisse and confirms that she met Eduardo Vásquez and Sully Salcedo from Fresh Crabec, who send them crabs that are caught in Guayaquil and Naranjal.

“They help us export. It was a bit difficult at first because we saw that they were selling frozen crabs and people wanted to see them alive. And when they see that we bring them alive, people are surprised and they really like it,” he points out.

A bundle of ten “fat-legged” crabs costs $60, and he sells fourteen for $70. Denisse promotes herself on social networks and writes down orders. Make a list and look for them in Ecuador. These crabs are caught every Friday morning and sent by direct flight to New York at night. Denisse receives them on Saturday and delivers them immediately.

It has no permanent place or premises. He leaves in his car with the bundles of crabs and stands on the corner of the avenue that has already mingled with customers at a certain time and delivers them. His clients are Ecuadorians, Guatemalans, Dominicans and Colombians. These last three nationalities are related to the fact that their family knows an Ecuadorian.

Every Saturday, an Ecuadorian woman sells this crab. Photo: Courtesy.

The compatriot says that she usually carries more bags because at the time of delivery, more people come to her for consultations, and some also carry the product. The Americans were also curious and asked: “What is that?”, and Denisse answered: “It’s a crab, a crab from Ecuador and it costs sixty dollars.” They usually don’t buy, they just look and touch them because they are interested.

“I distribute in Queens, on Roosevelt Avenue; my husband in New Jersey and his father in Brooklyn. Sometimes it sells more in New Jersey, in Queens and a little less in Brooklyn, it depends on the week. I give our customers the locations, they come and remove their packages. I leave my contacts (new clients) so they can shop next week or whenever they want,” he says.

Ecuador exported more shellfish than crab in 2023 due to the interest of Hong Kong buyers

The shell is another of the products it sells. 25 shells are offered for $30. “We pay taxes, customs, everything is legal. The shells were chosen, thick because they are for export,” says Denisse, who sold all 25 in Ecuador for $4.

Winter is colder now, but that didn’t stop Denisse from selling her crabs, maybe not every week is that good. “It’s a bit difficult because of the weather, the cold is tough here, work is suspended, but if you want to progress, you have to make an effort, fight and continue and try to look for work because if you decide there is no work, it stagnates,” says Denisse.

$1,000 a month rent

This business is a very important addition to the family. Denissa’s husband and her father work in construction, which is a physically demanding activity. With that income, they pay three rents a month, each at $1,000 for the rooms. Denisse and her husband live in one, her children in the second, and her father in the third.

Christmas 2023 was spent as a family and they met in one of the rooms. They talked and shared as much as possible, because the last thing they have is time. Everyone misses family and also food.

“We are not thinking about returning now, we want to stay here in this country, God willing. There’s a lot of noise here, traffic, it’s not like when you’re in Ecuador you can go and relax. I miss jaguarlocro, guatita“, says Denisse, who, when she received the first bundle of crabs, was clearly enjoying herself with her family.

According to data from the Central Bank, foreign sales of crabs amounted to $437,000 in 2021, and increased to $1,060,000 in 2022, representing a growth of 142%.

The shell is another product that Denisse offers. Photo: Courtesy.

The United States is the top buyer of Ecuadorian crab, as more than 97% of this product is shipped. 1.79% of these exports go to Indonesia, and 0.60% to Hong Kong.

According to the National Customs Service of Ecuador, from January 2018 to December last year, 59 companies and individuals of Ecuadorian origin exported crabs.

Meanwhile, the shell is also heading to the United States. This country received almost all Ecuadorian shells in 2022, since that destination represented 99 percent of deliveries, according to data from the Central Bank. Exports in 2022 closed at USD 410,000 with an increase of 1583%.

Denisse hopes her business selling crab and shell bundles will continue to grow. He assures that there is a lack of time because he will always have the will and desire to work.

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