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Ismael is 56 years old. He lives in the city of Cartagena with his spouse and 3 children, aged 18 to 22. He has a chicha factory. He started when his wife would make rice chica with the neighbors on their block. When Ismael left is job as an inter-city bus driver, he observed in that activity a potential for growth and sustainability in his income to benefit his home. that was how they started to make chicha in greater quantities as well as to seek markets to sell it in. His first customers were the stores in the nearby neighborhoods. Little by little they gained ground, selling the product by the case, as they do now. His sister who lives in another city also has a business selling dairy products. She proposed that he sell cheese, whey and meat. With her support, because she made him a loan, and Ismael bought his first products from her and started selling those things as well in the city of Cartagena. It has gone well for him with these, because he makes weekly orders and sells new products that supplement the family income. With the previous loan with the Fundacion Mario Santo Domingo, Ismael bought beef and a lot of fish that he sold because he increased his inventory and his customers. Ismael tells the Foundation: “Thanks for helping and I hope you continue to do it." Right now he is applying for his first Kiva loan, with which he will buy pork again in a larger quantity because it is the product that he sells the most and it generates immediate income, which will make his Kiva loan a successful investment.
Translated from Spanish by Kiva volunteer Ellen Donohue. View original language description.
