My name is Arnaldo and I am a 29 years old entrepreneur from San Juan, Puerto Rico. Three years ago Kiva helped me achieve the dream of opening a mobile Neapolitan-style Pizzeria business. A the time I was working on my bachelor’s degree in business and hoping to realize a long-life dream of owning my own business. Well, it actually came true!
Toque Di Leña’s innovative concept has been a huge success, serving thousands of clients across the island. Our portable wood fire ovens as well as our skilled pizzaiolos have been a major hit at destination weddings, birthdays, corporate events, and family gatherings. Even through tough times, we have been able to rise together and get stronger.
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic hit everyone in ways we could have never imagined. The food industry was one of the most affected, leaving thousands of businesses inoperable. We were not spared from the pandemic’s devastating effects and were forced to put a stop to operations.
Resilience and strong support from our clients helped us create another novel concept in the food industry: the ghost kitchen. We created a space that offers delivery services through virtual delivery platforms. Again, clients were loving the fact that they could still get access to our specialty pizzas even through this challenging period.
Nowadays, our catering service is stronger than ever. Our ghost kitchen is doing great as well, but now a new phase of our business is in the works and we need your help to realize it. Our clients have been begging us to open a space where they can gather with family and friends and create memories, so we are opening a full-service restaurant specializing in wood-fired Neapolitan-style pizzas and fresh pasta. Hopefully, we will achieve that goal with your appreciated help.
Toque Di Leña is a family-owned and run business that offers a Pop-up restaurant experience at private events across the whole island of Puerto Rico. Our Neapolitan-style pizzas are cooked in wood-fired ovens and do not require gas or electricity, making it fairly easy and convenient to set up our kitchen at almost any venue. During the COVID-19 lockdown, our business’s second phase was created: “the ghost kitchen”. This innovative concept was developed to offer our clients a way of enjoying our pizzas from the safety of their homes. The “ghost kitchen” is located at Calle Paraná, San Juan, which is a commercial well-known street in Puerto Rico. The significant amount of faithful clients we have acquired throughout the years as well as the privileged location we are at brings us to our business’s third phase: The Neapolitan-style Pizza Bistro. Located near commercial buildings, colleges, schools, medical clinics, restaurants, and residential areas, our bistro, which will specialize in Neapolitan-style pizzas and fresh pasta will be a certain success, offering the community a family-oriented space where friends and families can gather together and enjoy superb food, great atmosphere, and quality services. www.kiva.org
This loan will help transform our ghost kitchen into a full-service restaurant specializing in Neapolitan-style pizzas and fresh pasta. Although hard work has helped us develop and further our business, extreme circumstances like the COVID-19 pandemic have made the road to success even more challenging. Through Kiva we are looking to acquire the funds needed to finish our already started project. The funds will be used for the exterior façade, electrical fixtures, furniture, interior walls, outdoor sitting space, inventory, equipment, payroll, advertisement, and working capital.
