Enrique Cevallos always had a connection to sales. He saw his father in that commercial work and when he reached his youth he decided to have his own business in Portoviejo (Manabí): a bakery. From home, together with his family, they baked breads and cassava starch crackers.
Since the sector where they lived was not commercial, Enrique chose to walk long distances and knock on store doors to offer their products. On those journeys, sometimes, he was accompanied by his son Carlos Cevallos when he finished his classes.
Father and son walked with large bags and when they had less weight they got on the buses to try their luck. This is how they were promoting their manabitas cookies from 1997. Their growth was slow and after thirteen years they managed to establish themselves as a company Productos Alimenticios SA Keccsa in its native Ecuador.
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“That’s how we grew. They asked us for cookies for weddings and parties. I spoke with a cousin, who was a lawyer, and we set up the company. Keccsa are the initials of my family”, says Enrique, owner of the company.
His son Carlos is the legal representative of Keccsa. He is a foreign trade engineer and since he was eight years old he has been focused on business. In his adolescence he continued to accompany his father and now, at 34 years old, he cares about every detail of the product and looks for alternatives to enter more markets.
That way of thinking and acting that Carlos has makes Enrique, 67, proud. His eyes crystallize upon hearing it. “Those objectives from yesterday are precisely what today give us the reason why we had to go all this way to get here. you know that Times change, one gets older, one is fleeting through life and one must gradually include the family. My children have been a great supportsays Enrique.
But the road to achieving that success also had obstacles. The first was the earthquake in 2016 and then the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. “The local market that we had fell and it did affect us a lot, but thanks to the efforts of other provinces, initiatives to buy Manabitas and Esmeraldas products were promoted. In the pandemic we never stop paying workers. Also, My dad was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer and it was a hard time. I was with the business and worried about my father’s health and everything in the midst of the pandemic,” says Carlos.
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Fortunately his father he recovered after seven months and no longer has cancer. Carlos also points out that the staff was very supportive of the company’s growth.
Keccsa produces four tons of cookies per month, which can vary, depending on the demand in the national market. His factory is in his home in a space conditioned for that work and They keep the original recipe. They have ten people hired.
The cookies are distributed under the Yulcis brand in two presentations of 40 and 90 grams to Almacenes Tía, Mi Comisariato and Supermaxi.
As of June 1, 2022, they began exporting to the United States with 87,000 packages (both in Spanish and in English) of cookies between presentations of 40, 60 and 90 grams.
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But those are not their only showcases. The product is also sold by Amazon, where they have reached fifth and sixth position in the category of sweet cookies. below big brands like Gullón from Spain and Chips Ahoy.
Carlos anticipates that they are already in negotiation to enter the European market. “We hope to send the first quantities of the product. We believe in the product and we are not going to corner ourselves into a niche market. We want Ecuadorians to go to these European supermarkets and consume it there. I have faith in God that he will shine much brighter”, comments Carlos.
Enrique maintains that the path is not easy, but it is not impossible either. “Because when there is that longing, the desire to get ahead, then that will help us because there are goals. Those dreams are already a reality and it leaves us calm that all the effort was not in vain.”, says the owner of Keccsa.
For Carlos, each difficulty they experienced shaped their character. “It is what teaches to be patient because Sometimes when an entrepreneur starts something, he believes that everything happens overnight. We started with organic capital and not with investors. And it is true that there are nights when you do not sleep because if we do not reach a high volume, then you do not win”, he assures, adding that another of the challenges is staying on the racks and competing with international brands.
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However, Enrique suggests not to get discouraged but to have vision. “Because this is what leads us tomorrow to tell our grandchildren about this and thus inspire them,” he highlights.
Carlos agrees with his father’s suggestion and adds that perseverance is also key. “The first years are very difficult and sometimes it’s a “boom””, but the time of decline is coming, which is already being felt, the market is saturatedother bidders arrive and that is when we must be more perseveringgive an added value so that the consumer values you”. (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.
