Elder Alonso, Owner of Locco Pizza in Madrid, Shares Sacrifice Behind His Success: Forgoing Trips to Cuba to Invest in Business

Elder Alonso, the Cuban entrepreneur behind Locco Pizza in Madrid, shared on Instagram this Monday that the pivotal decision for his business growth was to stop traveling to Cuba and instead channel that money into his culinary venture.

"Once I made the choice not to return to the land of my birth, I began to see economic results," Alonso wrote in his post, reflecting on the sacrifices required when starting a business with limited resources.

Originally from Granma province, the businessman explained that he used to travel to Cuba annually, spending all his savings on these trips. "All the money I would have spent going to Cuba, I saved for the Locco Pizza project," he stated.

Alonso acknowledged the emotional weight of this decision: "Achieving goals requires making significant sacrifices, such as not seeing family for years."

Strategic Choices for Economic Growth

In his message, he also addressed the Cuban diaspora community. He pointed out that a common pattern among his fellow Cubans is spending savings on homes in Cuba they never live in and frequent trips to the island. "This isn't wrong, but if you want to get ahead and don't have many resources to start a business, then it is a mistake," he wrote.

However, he clarified that he does not criticize these decisions from a moral standpoint, but notes them as strategic obstacles for those aiming for economic growth in their current country of residence. "To achieve our dreams, we also have to make tough decisions in life," he concluded.

Locco Pizza: A Cuban Culinary Gem in Madrid

Located at Avenida Oporto 104 in Madrid's Carabanchel neighborhood, Locco Pizza has become a staple of Cuban cuisine in the Spanish capital. The venue is celebrated for its Cuban-style roasted pork shoulders, sandwiches, and pork pizzas, all made with artisanal Cuban bread baked in-house.

The restaurant reached a milestone in December 2024 when it sold out all its roasted pork shoulder reservations for the holiday period from December 22 to 31 in a single day, with a line of customers stretching over four blocks in Madrid. A total of 200 units were sold at approximately 50 euros each.

Financial Realities of the Cuban Diaspora

Alonso's message resonates with the reality faced by over 220,000 Cubans living in Spain in 2023. Frequent trips to Cuba to deliver remittances, medicines, and goods in person—partly because formal shipments incur up to 17% in fees—represent a significant drain on savings that, according to Alonso, could be redirected to personal projects in their host country.

"I will never forget where I come from, but I must focus more on the future," the entrepreneur wrote at the beginning of his post, encapsulating the philosophy that, according to him, transformed his economic path.