Micro-credits for Baru Island entrepreneurs

Martha and Roger are married and they are partners in their grocery store called "The mustard seed."

“They say that the fifth year is the crucial year for a business and they say so, for a good reason! " declares Martha.

It was the year 2019. The year in which their store would reach its fifth anniversary, when a wave of family events took place and made Martha and Roger almost abandoned their business.

"We got very demotivated, lost interest and the necessary strength to continue, so we made the worst decision of our lives without knowing it: we rented the business, including all our inventory. We signed a one-year contract, and to summarize what we went through, during that time, they only paid us 2 months of rent, sold all the inventory and only occasionally stocked the business but with bad products, which made our customers leave" Martha relates, with obvious disappointment on her face.

“After several months of dispute that included lawyers, at the end of 2020, we got our store back. It hasn´t been easy, but we understood that our business is like a son to us and it is our duty to make it grow and prosper as strong as the tree that the little mustard seed becomes. That is why we currently sell more than 200 products and included new ones, according to what our customers need. We included the service of money orders, thanks to an agreement we made with a collection company. We came back stronger than ever, with a great lesson learned: not to give up despite the obstacles", Martha concludes while she gratefully welcomes her customers.

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