A Cuban woman has shared how she manages to earn a living on the island without receiving remittances from abroad, thanks to a small snack shop where she sells whatever food items she can acquire. Her story sheds light on the daily challenges of running a personal business amidst frequent blackouts and economic difficulties in Cuba.
"How do I survive in Cuba? Many people ask how I manage to get by here without any family in the United States sending me anything," the woman explains in a video shared on TikTok.
The secret lies in her entrepreneurial spirit: "This is my business, a snack shop where I sell anything I can find that's edible and marketable."
The video, posted in early October, showcases part of her daily routine, which involves sourcing goods, organizing her inventory, and serving customers. She also contends with frequent power outages, which make it challenging to preserve food items.
"My afternoon was spent finding items, and then I had to clean the fridge because, as you know, with these blackouts, things start to defrost," she recounts.
As she cleans and arranges her shop, she continues to serve those who come to buy, affirming, "The business can't stop."
Her experience reflects the struggles many Cubans face in meeting their basic needs. A survey conducted between February and March 2026 revealed that 86.6% of participants had to engage in some informal activity to avoid hunger, while 64.2% did not receive any financial support from abroad in the previous month.
Power outages pose an additional challenge for small food businesses. The lack of electricity can lead to product losses, as was the case with a Havana bakery that lost a batch valued at 15,000 Cuban pesos due to a blackout.
Despite these obstacles, the woman asserts that her snack shop allows her to sustain herself financially without relying on money from overseas.
"Thanks to this business, I can support myself and maintain a somewhat acceptable standard of living while living in Cuba," she concludes.
Surviving the Economic Challenges in Cuba
How does the Cuban woman manage without receiving remittances?
She runs a small snack shop where she sells various edible items she can acquire, allowing her to earn a living without foreign remittances.
What challenges does she face in running her business?
She deals with frequent power outages that make food preservation difficult and must continuously search for merchandise to sell.
What did the survey conducted between February and March 2026 reveal?
The survey indicated that 86.6% of participants engaged in informal activities to avoid hunger, and 64.2% did not receive financial aid from abroad in the previous month.