Yezmin León, a Cuban from Cojímar (Havana), emigrated to the United States 27 years ago and is now known on social media as "The Queen of Codito." With the help of her son-in-law, Rodolfo Saccoman, a technology expert, she distributes her crunchy codito snacks, handcrafted in her home in Hialeah, to 250 establishments in South Florida, including Sedano's and Presidente SuperMarket.
In response to CiberCuba's question about what message he would send to those with a business idea but unsure how to get started, he answered without hesitation: "Yes, it's possible. It takes a lot of work. Sometimes doors will close on you, and you will face criticism, but that’s what you need to do; grow, learn, and keep moving forward because it is possible. And if God is with you, my dear, if those are the plans, you will achieve it."
Yezmin León co-founded CODITOS with her son-in-law Rodolfo Saccoman just two years ago, transforming a Cuban family recipe —the "chicharrita" or "chicharrón de viento"— into a snack brand that she personally distributes in South Florida.
In an interview with CiberCuba, Yezmin León did not hide her excitement when the journalist asked her what she feels when she looks back and sees how far she has come: "God, we did it. It's unbelievable." Furthermore, she was emphatic in stressing that there are no shortcuts on this journey: "I believe that nothing is easy when you start something like this from scratch."
His son-in-law and partner, the Brazilian Rodolfo Saccoman, provided the most strategic perspective on the business. For him, the greatest danger of having a big dream is that it becomes paralyzing. "What happens when you have a dream is that if it's too big, it's a giant, and giants scare you, making the path seem very distant. So the formula I've used throughout my career, and with small steps is day by day, is that today, if I can do one thing, I do one thing and move forward in the dream. If I can do two things tomorrow, I keep progressing. Because otherwise, you get dizzy and drown in the dream."
To illustrate this philosophy, Tania Costa, the interviewer, referred to a football analogy: "That's what Cholo Simeone, coach of Atlético de Madrid, says: the league is won match by match. We're not going to think about what will happen next year. Match by match, step by step."
The interview also had a moment of connection with the live audience. A follower identified as Mercedes Pulido Álvarez, originally from Camagüey, wrote that she used to eat those elbow macaroni that are now sold by Yezmin León when she was a child and asked if they are available in Houston (Texas).
Yezmin León responded honestly: "Let her write to us which store she would like to buy them at in Houston."
The comment from the follower from Camagüey illustrates something that the founders of CODITOS have emphasized since the beginning: the snack is not just a product, but a shared memory among generations of Cubans both inside and outside the island.
The brand, born in the garden of Yezmin León's home in Hialeah, closed a pre-seed funding round of 750,000 dollars in June of this year with investors such as Blue Collective, the University of Miami Cane Angel Network, and Azoic Ventures. It aims to expand to 700 stores in South Florida, in addition to entering new state markets and channels such as cruise ships and universities.
Among the Cubans who have built successful businesses from exile, Yezmin León's story stands out for its starting point: a tray of elbow macaroni drying in the sun in a garden in Hialeah, and the conviction that, with hard work and faith, "it can be done."
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