A video posted on Facebook by Chacorta Humberley Hernandez shows a conversation with a 15-year-old Cuban teenager who makes a living selling avocados on the street, in a scene that reflects the harsh economic reality of the island and the resourcefulness of those who seek to survive without relying on remittances.
In it, Humberley approaches the young man and asks him a series of questions about his business, establishing a personal connection from the outset: "I'm going to ask you a little question because my first business I did was selling avocados."
The exchange, apparently in Ciego de Ávila, reveals the figures of the small venture: the teenager buys green avocados for 45 Cuban pesos each and sells them for 60, a profit margin of 33% on an initial batch of 110 units.
"How much did you buy the avocado for, green? And are you selling it? At 60, and you didn't sell any at 70 or anything? You need to restock the ones that go bad," Humberley tells the young man, giving him a basic lesson in management: raising the price of some to cover the losses from those that spoil before being sold.
When Humberley asks him how many avocados he bought and how old he is, the young man replies straightforwardly: 110 units, 15 years old.
The response captures one of the most poignant moments of the video: "At 15, he’s working and finding himself, you know, he’s not stealing, he’s not making it up."
At the time of the video, the young man had approximately 13 avocados, valued at around 720 to 780 pesos.
Humberley counts them one by one, buys them to make guacamole, and pays a little more than agreed: "I'm paying you for it now, but take this a bit extra."
The adult contrasts the young person's attitude with that of other boys their age: "Today, he's one in his twenties, either asking for a top-up, or wanting us to work harder, or not wanting to do it because they feel humiliated."
The video closes with a direct message to the Cuban diaspora: "This is advice for the people on TikTok, the kids who have quite a lot of family and stuff, don't send them money. Because when you send money, you teach them to be lazy, and then on the day you can't send it, you teach them to be thieves."
The scene is set against the deep economic crisis that Cuba is experiencing, where basic products like avocado have turned into luxury items in the informal market.
In 2025, the prices ranged from 130 Cuban pesos in Havana to up to 900 pesos in provinces like Camagüey, in a country where the minimum salary is around 2,100 pesos per month.
In this context, informal entrepreneurship even among minors has become a family survival strategy.
The young man in the video, buying at 45 and selling at 60 and 70, operates with a basic yet functional commercial logic amid precarious circumstances.
"These 15-year-old boys just look at their disciples with the avocados they bought and keep selling, continuing to fight," concludes Humberley, in a closing statement that summarizes the spirit of the video.
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