A sweet future in the confectionery industry

When tradition and good work come together, one gets truly special products, such as the toffees made by Dulcería Ynoa. Activity starts early in the day, as this small business in the Dominican village of Platanal prepares all the ingredients before starting the exacting task of cooking this sugary delicacy.

Daniel has been running this business for the last seven years. He took over from his brother, who started to prepare the toffee some fifteen years ago, following a recipe inherited from their grandparents. Since it is the only enterprise in the area producing the much-loved ‘dulce de leche’, it is much appreciated by his customers, who come from a wide area around the place to buy this local specialty from them.

Experience has given Daniel the necessary skills to achieve the best combination of the ingredients, and to judge the right cooking time to ensure that the over-200 toffee portions they make each day come out perfectly.

In 2016 he decided to acquire higher-capacity boilers to increase production. With a 60,000-peso (approximately one thousand euros) loan from Banco Adopem, the Dominican institution of the BBVA Microfinance Foundation, he bought the equipment he needed.  Then he began to diversify his business, and started to sell coconut. Moreover, he has purchased a car to take his toffees to stores that buy them from him and sell them on.

Daniel’s story of entrepreneurship began with a recipe shared many years back. He is now thinking of just how sweet the future may be.

 

Cristina González del Pino, Communications BBVAMF

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