After nine months halted due to the energy crisis, the Yumurí Combined Factory in Matanzas (a cookie factory popularly known as "la Chichí") has resumed production of salt crackers, offering packages of 500 grams and one kilogram, which will be sold for 500 and 1,000 pesos, respectively.
The entity, part of the Base Business Unit of Alimentos Matanzas, ceased operations on December 26 when prolonged blackouts made its operation unfeasible.
According to the telecenter TV Yumurí, the reactivation was made possible by the installation of a photovoltaic solar energy system composed of 256 solar panels, batteries with a storage capacity of up to 260 kWh, and four inverters of 50 kW, with a generation capacity of approximately 161 kW.
The project was carried out by the Enerza Villa Clara Local Development Project in cooperation with Copextel Matanzas under a turnkey contract, and it maintains the employment of 45 workers.
According to company executives cited in the video from TV Yumurí, the price increase is due to rising raw material costs: "As the global market price of products rises, the cost of raw materials changes, and a new cost sheet must be created, which leads to a change in the product's price."
The same executives promised an orderly distribution: "This will reach every household in a distribution that will be carried out to the population through all the popular councils at the point of sale of our units' bread."
They also announced differentiated productions for the basic basket and for social or vulnerable cases, as well as the possibility of electronic payment.
The goal is to produce two tons of cookies daily, and the solar system would allow for savings of approximately 18,000 liters of oil per month.
However, the announcement sparked a wave of skepticism among the residents of Matanzas, who doubt that the product will actually reach the population.
"Many photos, but where are the cookies?" asked a user in the post on Facebook from the telecenter.
Another was more straightforward about the prices: "At 500, things get better... with the only caveat being that you have to be a millionaire."
A third comment addressed the situation of retirees: "If cookies cost 2,000 and the retiree earns 3,000, how many can they buy?"
Several users also reported that resellers have already gotten ahead: "The resellers have already started selling them on the street for 2,000 pesos."
Another recalled the usual pattern of these distributions: "Now they start inventing and take them to the candy stores by the card, one package per household, even if there are 15 people."
The widespread skepticism is not unfounded. "When there was power, the people never saw those cookies available for normal sale, and now it's even less likely; everything here is dollarized," wrote an internet user.
A comment referred to the usual empty propaganda of the government, with goals that are never met. "It's not about slogans. It's about offering them in all markets in Matanzas at prices that a minimum wage can afford. Because these are just simple cookies, not an expensive property."
Another user questioned the celebration of merely producing cookies amid the current food crisis. "Where is the bread to give to the population? The children have no snacks."
Although the government claims that the factory will be able to maintain its production thanks to the installation of solar panels, the reality is that blackouts are not the only obstacle facing the Cuban food industry.
In addition to the fact that the wheat mills have gone years without deep maintenance, the production of bread, cookies, and sweets is suffering from a chronic shortage of wheat flour. During the first half of 2025, the Ministry of Food Industry (MINAL) received only 55% of the expected wheat, and 17 companies in the sector closed that period with losses.
In Cienfuegos, in December 2025, the Provincial Business Group of Commerce distributed only 1 kg of saltine crackers per household as an additional product to the regulated basket.
Due to the inability to obtain this flour, several state-owned companies have turned to substitutes. The food company of Ciego de Ávila produces cookies with cassava flour since 2022, and Camagüey is also focusing on cassava flour for sausages and croquettes.
Even moringa powder is used to make cookies and other products in La Sierpe, Sancti Spíritus.
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