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Elder Alonso, the Cuban entrepreneur behind Locco Pizza in Madrid, revealed this Monday on Instagram that the decision that most propelled his business was to stop traveling to Cuba and allocate that money to his culinary project.
"Since I decided not to return to the land where I was born I started to see the economic results," wrote Alonso in his post, where he reflected on the sacrifices required to undertake with limited resources.
The businessman, originally from the province of Granma, explained that he used to travel to Cuba every year and spent all his savings on those trips. "All the money I would spend going to Cuba I put aside for the Locco Pizza project," he stated.
Alonso acknowledged the emotional weight of that choice: "To achieve goals, one must make great sacrifices like not seeing family for years."
In his message, he also offered a direct reflection to the Cuban community in the diaspora. He noted that one of the most common patterns among his compatriots is spending savings on homes in Cuba that they will never inhabit and on frequent trips to the island. "This is not wrong, but if you want to get ahead and don't have many resources to start something, then it is a mistake," he wrote.
He clarified, however, that he does not condemn these decisions from a moral standpoint, but rather points them out as a strategic obstacle for those who want to grow economically in the country where they live. "To achieve our dreams, we also have to make strong decisions in life," he concluded.
Locco Pizza, located at 104 Oporto Avenue in the Madrid neighborhood of Carabanchel, has become one of the landmarks of Cuban cuisine in the Spanish capital. The establishment is known for its Cuban-style roasted pork skewers, its snacks and its pork pizzas, all made with artisan Cuban bread crafted on-site.
The restaurant achieved a milestone in December 2024 when it sold out all reservations for pork shoulders in a single day for the holiday period from the 22nd to the 31st of that month, with a line of customers stretching over four streets in Madrid. In total, it sold 200 units at an approximate price of 50 euros each.
The message from Alonso resonates with a widespread reality among the more than 220,000 Cubans residing in Spain in 2023. Frequent trips to Cuba to deliver remittances, medicines, and goods in person —partly because formal shipments incur up to a 17% in fees— represent a significant expenditure of savings that, according to Alonso himself, could be redirected to personal projects in the host country.
"I will never forget where I come from, but I must be more focused on the future," wrote the entrepreneur at the beginning of his post, summarizing in one sentence the philosophy that, in his opinion, transformed his economic journey.
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