Today we’d like to introduce you to Roberto Uzcategui.
Hi Roberto, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I started up a new business this year with my partner Johan Rivero and this is the history: we cannot eat gluten due to a sensitivity to this protein, that’s why we came up with the idea to open a 100% dedicated gluten-free store. After noticing that there were different types of specialty grocery stores like organics or natural foods, why wasn’t there any gluten free store? We saw that there is a big number of products with the expression “gluten-free” available to fill up a complete grocery or convenience store so that is how the concept was developed in December 2020; during that time, the work of looking label by label of almost every single package at several supermarkets has already been done by us.
Thus, Glutenless-Mart was opened on July 31st, 2021, in Maitland, Florida. This is one of the first 100% gluten-free grocery stores in the US, offering labeled gluten-free, certified gluten-free, and naturally gluten-free food, beverages, and even gluten-free personal care products in addition to household products. Our goal is to facilitate the shopping experience for celiac and gluten-sensitive customers by having all the basic products for their daily needs in one single place without having to verify the information on the packaging or expend too much time walking around large supermarkets in the search of products that are healthy for them. In the future, we expect to expand our business by including a deli, a bakery, a liquors section, and a produce area totally free of cross-contamination, and if it’s possible to be able to expand the concept to other cities and states.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been really difficult for us for various reasons: considering we are immigrants from Venezuela since 2018, we didn’t have the possibility of obtaining any kind of business credit, therefore we had to gather all of our savings into crypto assets and specially during the beginning of 2020 pandemic when cryptocurrencies were really low, then after the rise of crypto value at the end of 2020, we could complete the minimum economic resources to get the retail space and build up the 1800 sq. ft. store in Maitland. We are also dealing with the difficulties of competing with big supermarkets in prices and product varieties, dealing with suppliers that didn’t trust in our idea or trying to get all the products that the customers need. Finally, we are also struggling with the fact that we have short experience in business because we were professionals of engineering back in Venezuela and we are still learning the procedures and laws of Florida and the US in general to open a small business.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Our current work is to manage the store and adapt it day by day to our customer’s requirements, they have been leading us towards the brands that we must carry. It is a continuous effort because we also must look for competitive prices among our suppliers. It has been quite an apprenticeship, because as I mentioned before, we do not have experience in business but in the professional and scientific field. Our previous experience it’s focused on what we have been studying for, I am a Geographer with a master’s degree in Space Analysis and Land Management plus a second master’s degree in Computer Engineering for Space Technologies Applications and Johan is an Electrical Engineer with a master’s degree in Renewable Energies.
How do you think about happiness?
I think happiness it’s more about giving than receiving. We are happy if we give something to our society, starting up a business just for money doesn’t necessarily make you happy, you must create something you would love, something that fills in your spirit and something to be remembered for. Living with the liberties and opportunities of the US gave us the inspiration to let our ideas be expressed in a business that will help millions of people that suffer when it comes to eating. Finally, coming from a country where buying food is difficult, eating well and being healthy is also a big reason to be happy.
Contact Info:
- Email: glutenlessmart@gmail.com
- Website: www.glutenlessmart.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/glutenlessmart/
- Facebook: https://fb.me/GlutenlessMartLLC
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/glutenless-mart-maitland
Image Credits:
Glutenless-Mart LLC
