The reopening of the cookie factory popularly known as “La Chichi” —the Yumurí Combined Factory in Matanzas— was celebrated with extensive official media coverage after being paralyzed for nine months due to the energy crisis. However, what reached the neighborhoods was very different from what had been promised, and the residents of Matanzas did not hesitate to express their outrage on social media.
The internet user Juana Sánchez posted on Facebook a photograph of the distributed product: a small bag of oddly shaped cookies, with several broken pieces, sold for 500 Cuban pesos.
"With great fanfare, they announced the reopening of the La Chichi cookie factory in the city of Matanzas, which brought us joy because this highly demanded product could be purchased," wrote Sanchez, before revealing the reality: "Here is what they sold yesterday in the Armando Mestre neighborhood, 1 bag per card for 500 CUP."
The plant had ceased operations on December 26, 2025, due to prolonged blackouts and the shortage of diesel affecting Cuba. Its reopening was made possible by the installation of a photovoltaic solar system with 256 solar panels, 260 kWh batteries, and four 50 kW inverters, carried out by the Local Development Project Enerza Villa Clara in collaboration with Copextel Matanzas.
Official media —TV Yumurí, Radio 26, Juventud Rebelde and Girón— presented the return of production as an achievement of local development, with a declared goal of two tons of salt biscuits per day and an estimated saving of 18,000 liters of oil per month. The officially announced prices were 500 CUP for 500 grams and 1,000 CUP for one kilogram.
In a country where the minimum wage as of July 2026 is 3,210 CUP and the official average salary ended 2025 at 6,930 CUP, a bag of cookies priced at 500 pesos represents between 7% and 15% of a worker's monthly income.
Sanchez's reaction was straightforward: "Is this the fault of the blockade? Who is responsible for this?" he asked, describing the situation as "a lack of respect for the population" and accusing those in charge of "exploiting the hunger and needs of the people."
The comments at the bottom of the post pointed to a systemic issue: "In state-run factories, there is no quality because they steal raw materials like oil and yeast. When there is competition, there is quality," wrote a user. Another added: "I'm sure they steal the fat, which is the most important for all products, from candy and bakery."
The episode adds to a series of shortages that Matanzas has been experiencing since 2025: recurring suspensions of regulated bread due to a lack of wheat flour, rice distributions delayed by months, and widespread shortages of basic products. In March 2025, a local official went so far as to publicly admit that there was only enough bread for one day in Matanzas.
The question that Sanchez posed in his post encapsulates the feelings of many residents of Matanzas: who is accountable when the official announcement and the reality in the neighborhood have nothing in common?
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