The confinement due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020, was the moment of disconnection and inspiration from Charlize Zederbauer, of 18 years. She decided create a fruity parfait, but one that is not cloying.
He took some blackberries, ice cream, other ingredients and created it. He also wanted to make choco chip cookies. His family tried them and they were captivated. The same thing happened with his friends. And that’s when they saw a business opportunity.
His mother, Maria Cecilia Lapentti48 years old, took on the task of help her daughter and they started that path together in The Desserta brand that offers Blackberry Ice-Cuit, cookies, banana bread and other products.
Darek Andrade, the Ecuadorian entrepreneurial boy, allocates a part of his income to help people on the street
“We were at my house and I have always wanted to start a candy business. My grandmother is from Austria and the sweets there are delicious, so I started with this idea of teaching things different from what is normally sold here and I took advantage of the pandemic because I had free time. Then I created an Instagram account @ledessert.ec, I made a logo and promoted the business. It was well received,” says Charlize.
María Cecilia remembers that her first clients were her family and friends in April 2020 and by May of that same year it was a great success. “One day we worked until dawn and my husband made the deliveries. That was the first big sale and we realized that it was something that had potential.”, comments María Cecilia.
And as the orders increased and Charlize, due to her studies, could not fully focus on the business, her mother became even more involved, to the point that both only got together to work between 04:00 and 05:00 to have everything ready until 08:00 when Charlize started classes.
They no longer only had blackberry ICE-Cuit but also dulce de leche, almond rolls with delicacy, a triple brownie cake, lemon pie and other products. And even to that project they added two people to meet the demand, one in preparation and another for the exhibition of products in stands.
Mami-T prepares its fifth restaurant in Guayaquil and demands new staff
A month They make around a thousand ICE-Cuits of blackberry and dulce de leche from their kitchens which are in more than 20 points of sale such as Mi Comisariato, La Española, El Portal, Urban Market and others in Guayaquil and Samborondón. In Machala they are at Casa Gourmet; and the cookies at River Beach Club. They are also through Uber Eats.
“We have been very well received in supermarkets, despite the fact that it has not been easy, for example in Mi Comisariato we were behind a year between samples and talking,” says María Cecilia. For her that is the greatest achievement: being in large chains.
Charlize is excited to see those advances when she compares when they only had one hand mixer and now they have two stand mixers. “It is the dedication and effort with which we have obtained good results”, highlights the young woman.
Her mother indicates that this path has not been easy, but the support between the two has been essential. “It is something more of perseverance and desire to do it. There is no need to be afraid of doing it, with perseverance and dedication it can be achieved. It is true that we have taken a long time to enter the large supermarkets, but there has been an opening,” says María Cecilia.
Lactose intolerance led an Italian to create his own goat cheese in Ecuador and now it is his livelihood, he sells it to shops and restaurants
In the next few years, mother and daughter visualize their brand Le Dessert at a national level. They want to reach more provinces and also have an exclusive kitchen for the business.
Charlize advises the other young people to believe in her ideas. “That they make their dreams come true and all those ideas they have make them come true, that they be optimistic, have the desire to do it and Do not get carried away by people’s negative comments because many times there are. Don’t be afraid of success,” he suggests.
His mother also agrees and adds that Entrepreneurs should not be scared to think that they require a large investment. “In our case we have been advancing, as we have been having results. There is no need to be afraid or think that all businesses require a mega-infrastructure. You have to try and be constant, that’s the key because they told us: ‘do you think this is going to pay off?’ But we have moved on”, he points out.
Both Charlize and María Cecilia enjoy this business and plus their day to day, which is based on conversations and listening to music when they cook. Both feel that their relationship has strengthened. (YO)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
