Flora Rojas Carnica

Thank you for your loan. It has been disbursed to Flora Rojas Carnica by FINCA Peru in Peru. We are excited to watch this business grow. Over the next 4 - 10 months, FINCA Peru will be collecting repayments from this entrepreneur and posting progress updates on the Kiva website.

The comforting aroma of bread that invites us inside Flora’s bakery makes me want to sit and talk all day. She and her husband graciously show us around the bakery, where the morning’s work is just winding down, and preparations are being made for the early morning ahead. At the moment they are extremely busy filling many orders for the overwhelmingly popular ‘paneton’, a dessert bread that, without fail, adorns nearly every Peruvian dinner table on Christmas.

Flora says that business has been going strong, especially recently with the many orders for paneton. She used her last loan to purchase sacks of flour and sugar, as well as butter, in bulk, which drastically reduces the cost and therefore increases her profits. Of the many delicious types of bread she sells daily, one of her most popular is ‘chapla’, a hollow bread that is a staple in the households of Ayacucho. She sells these for 10 cents (about $.03) a piece, and gives a 20% discount for regular clients who purchase the chaplas in bulk.

In addition to purchasing ingredients in bulk, Flora was able to repair one of her tricycles that are used for bread delivery. There are still more repairs to be made, and Flora and her husband are also hoping to purchase another oven that would be able to keep the freshly baked bread warm until sold. Flora’s dream is to open a bakery where customers could come sit and relax while enjoying the fresh bread.