Last update: 10/02/2021

After finding herself out of work, this Mexican cook set up a small business with her mother-in-law that turned her life around: El Sazón de Ángel

Like many in Mexico, Mercedes’ life changed during the pandemic after her factory-worker husband was laid off and she faced the hardship of lockdown. However, her tireless efforts and drive to get her family out of this difficult situation have prospered.

With the help of her mother-in-law, Mercedes seized an opportunity during lockdown, setting aside space at home to build a kitchen where she could prepare food to sell door-to-door. She bought a bicycle to make deliveries in her neighbourhood, as well as kitchen utensils and a grill to make quesadillas. She also invested in roofing sheets for the kitchen and printed flyers to distribute locally.

Her urge to help the community by delivering homemade food in the most testing of times has provided a way out of one of the greatest challenges she’ll ever face. It also gives her more security and a better future for her loved ones.

El Sazón de Ángel

Mercedes’ desire for self-improvement and entrepreneurial spirit drove her to turn a small loan into a big story of overcoming the odds. Tuiio helped kick-start her venture with a loan that gradually enabled her to generate income to support her family. As a result, Mercedes has learned how to run her own business thanks to the financial education she has received.

These stories are the reason we give people like Mercedes the chance to fulfil their dreams, develop ideas and start afresh.

^{In November 2020, International Finance Magazine (IFM) named Santander Mexico the “Best Bank for Financial Inclusion” for its Tuiio initiative. Since the programme launched in 2017, Santander has dispensed almost 2 billion pesos (85 million euros) in loans to over 162,000 customers, not to mention over 100,000 loans to low-income households during the pandemic.}

^{Santander Finance for All is Banco Santander's programme to promote financial inclusion. We help society prosper in the countries where we operate through access to basic financial products and services (even in remote areas) to support people at risk of exclusion so they can thrive in their work, and through the promotion of financial education. It boosts our commitment to financially empowering 10 million people by 2025 through Tuiio in Mexico, Prospera in Brazil and Uruguay, Superdigita in Brazil, Mexico and Chile (these last two are expanding in Latin America), and other initiatives.}