This is a story of someone who has been forced to flee his country and reinvent himself. This is the story of a Venezuelan migrant turned businessman whose hard work and vision helped him face adversity. Carlos Torres grew up making traditional rice chicha – a fermented beverage widely known in Latin America. He learned how to make it from his grandfather when he was growing up in Venezuela. Many years later, when Carlos found himself as a nearly 60-year-old unemployed migrant in Ecuador, he had the idea to make chica again – and turn it into a business venture.
Due to the dire economic and political turmoil in Venezuela, Carlos and his family migrated to Ecuador in 2015.
"We decided that we deserved a better quality of life, so we decided to leave the country," he says.
Upon arriving in Ecuador, Carlos used his background as a hydrocarbon technician to find a good job in the oil industry. However, when oil prices tanked in 2017, he lost his job. Carlos recalls telling himself, “This is it, this is as far as we got.” With no more job options, he knew he had to find a new source of income. Enter “chicha.”
Venezuelan chicha as a business idea
Carlos found himself at 60 years old with an entrepreneurial vision to take the nutritious and organic drink to another level. Following his beloved grandfather’s recipe, Carlos began making the chicha by soaking, cooking, and blending rice, and adding different kinds of milk.
“I am an entrepreneur,” and soon I will be a businessman,” he told himself.
After working on the product for months with his wife, he launched his small business in 2018. Carlos decided to name his traditional Venezuelan rice chicha “Don Chefito.”
Knowledge and technology enable entrepreneurship
To help shape his business Carlos sought free entrepreneurship courses. That’s when he learned about USAID’s Economic Inclusion Project supporting Venezuelan migrants in Ecuador. He enrolled in the project’s entrepreneurial development courses.
Training helped him shape a business plan and strategy, and seed capital helped him purchase a pasteurizer machine and a refrigerator. Such improvements have allowed Carlos to extend the quality and double the capacity of the chica production process.
“I thought that we could technify that knowledge and offer it to the Ecuadorian population. In fact, my dream is for it to be part of the Ecuadorian diet. One day that will happen," he says with confidence.
Head in the sky, feet on the ground
For Carlos, entrepreneurship is for dreamers whose head is in the sky but feet are on the ground. He thinks entrepreneurs like himself require major organization and discipline.
“You have to prepare and study the market. It's not for everyone, but it's definitely not impossible,” he joyfully explains.
Today, Carlos sells his chicha in front of the Venezuelan embassy and is never short of customers. Some days, the line exceeds two hundred and fifty people.
In the process, Carlos has met many Venezuelans who are now faithful customers.
Although he enjoys selling on the street and is making ends meet for himself and his family, he is confident that his chicha will become well known enough that he will set it in supermarkets.
More than anything, Carlos wants for his business to grow so he can help employ others.
About this Story
Venezuelans have been forced to emigrate due to dire political and economic conditions at home, and many need help in establishing a new livelihood in their host country. USAID supports the World Council of Credit Unions’ (WOCCU) Economic Inclusion Project. The project improves economic opportunities for Venezuelans and Ecuadorians through activities that support labor market insertion, strengthen microenterprises, and facilitate access to financial services.
USAID has supported over 40,000 Venezuelans and Ecuadorians in their efforts to launch and expand their businesses.
Photos and narrative by the World Council of Credit Unions Ecuador
Geotag/Location: Quito, Ecuador