Ofelio still wonders if it was a mistake to come to the United States. Like most immigrants, he wants the things for his children that were much harder to come by in much of Latin America: a secure home, food to fill their stomachs, and an education. Though he did find some of these things, it cost him dearly in his health and well-being.

Ofelio’s first job in the United States was washing dishes in a restaurant in New York City. To keep his job, he was expected to work seven days a week, 12 hours a day with no sick days, vacation time, or promise of job security or even fair pay. His employers often asked him to work more hours without pay. He knew that if he objected they wouldn’t think twice about letting him go and replacing him.

After a few years in the food industry, Ofelio found that his hourly wage did less and less to feed his growing family for a full month. Ten years of this work in New York drove him into a state of deep depression that he says almost killed him. That’s when he left for Washington, D.C., where, he was told, opportunities were better.

Ofelio started making tamales out of his home nine years ago for people at church who found traditional tamales hard to come by in Washington, D.C. He laughs about it, saying that in Mexico making tamales is considered a woman’s task. After a few months, he was getting big orders on a regular basis, and the prospect of making a living from tamales slowly seemed more possible as he built up a client base in the city’s Latino community.

With a lot of hard work and the help of a local nonprofit, Ofelio was able to obtain all of the necessary permits and certifications for a tamale business. He now has insurance, a bank account, and even a website and business cards.

As a single father, Ofelio knows that the business is his family’s lifeline, and his income still provides little more than essential needs. “If I’m not working, we don’t have anything.” He combines tamale order drop-offs with school pick-ups and prepares tamales and dinners in the same kitchen.

With a lot of competition, Ofelio understands that success takes dedication to quality. He wakes up by 5:00 most mornings to cook and spends his afternoons and evenings selling and making deliveries. In between he finds time to be a dad.

The one thing Ofelio couldn’t get was a start-up loan—not even a few thousand dollars to move his business out of his home kitchen. By bank standards, his business was too small and too much of a risk. Without access to capital, Ofelio has no ability to move beyond just barely making it.

Ofelio has big ideas. He wants to increase production by renting a commercial kitchen, purchase a delivery vehicle, and hire full-time help so he can expand to nearby markets in Maryland and Virginia. Beyond the business, he’d love to take classes to improve his English and be able to pay for quality childcare for two of his four children still in school. But none of that can happen when you’re chief concern is survival.

Ofelio has big ideas. He wants to up production by renting a commercial kitchen, purchase a delivery vehicle, and hire full-time help so he can expand to nearby markets in Maryland and Virginia. Beyond the business, he’d love to take classes to improve his English and be able to pay for quality child care for two of his four children still in school. But none of that can happen when you’re just making it.

Ofelio has asked banks for a loan many times. They always turn him away. And most government programs won’t provide loans to businesses as small as his. He says to get a loan for a commercial kitchen, he'd have to save a minimum of $20,000. But that number is out of reach for him.
You decide to come here to earn money, but when you arrive you find it’s all a lie and it’s nothing like you thought.
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Ofelio: Entrepreneur


Ofelio left his home in rural Mexico almost 30 years ago with no family in the United States. He didn’t know any English, but he had a strong work ethic and determination to find a better life. He hasn't been able to return to Mexico for more than 20 years even though his parents, both in their 80s, would like to see him for what would likely be the last time.

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