Latinos Meat Market Flourishes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Many small businesses have struggled to survive during the pandemic. While some businesses have had to shut down and have had to layoff or furlough workers, others like Latinos Meat Market in Deerfield Beach have flourished during this crisis.
Located in an unassuming strip mall along Hillsboro Boulevard, Latinos Meat Market is a local butcher shop and market where shoppers can find products from Brazil, Peru, Colombia and Central America. Founded in 2001, this small business has been able to maintain success even through a pandemic.
Stepping foot in this business, one hears the music of Colombian singer Carlos Vives playing in the background, and at the register, employees wear face masks and have gigantic grins. Even though one can’t technically tell if someone is smiling with their face mask, it is evident by looking at their eyes. Near the back, customers take a number from the ticket dispenser and wait anxiously for the meat cutters to call them as they shiver and chatter their teeth under their face masks due to the cold temperature in the shop.
The smell of meat and fish overtakes the butcher shop section. Aisles are categorized according to different Latin countries’ products. The fridge closes and opens as customers choose a variety of items from the freezers.
A small line of customers in the far corner waits to be assisted by employees to send money to their family members in their home countries. Near the entrance, a beeping noise constantly comes from the registers where the lines are overwhelmed with the vast number of customers.
With 23 employees in total, Latinos Meat Market has kept its doors open to the public since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Jorge Lazarte, manager of Latinos Meat Market and Peruvian native, says that this business has flourished during this crisis by providing reasonable prices for high-quality products to the public and maintaining profit margins that are not so high.
Lazarte says that the moment COVID-19 began, several safety protocols for customers and employees were established to maintain a safe environment.
“We began to reduce the number of people who entered our shop, made it mandatory for everyone to wear a face mask inside, installed plexiglass [shields at registers], and took employees temperatures every morning before they headed inside,” says Lazarte.
When temperatures were taken, Lazarte said that if employees had a fever or cough, they were sent home and asked to get tested for COVID-19. If any employee tested positive, the company would pay for the time the employee was not working,
“When working in an essential business, you are putting yourself at constant risk,” says Lazarte.
According to a study published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, about 20 percent of grocery workers have tested positive for COVID-19.
Regarding the economic downturn that COVID-19 has left on the economy, Lazarte says that the company has not been affected financially. Instead, they have seen an increase in sales by 25 percent in comparison to other local butcher shops.
As restaurants were closed, people had to cook at home. Hence, the number of customers at Latinos Meat Market increased tremendously, says Lazarte.
To help out the public, Lazarte said that instead of increasing their prices, they decided to lower the prices of the essential sanitizing items they carried.
During these critical times, Latinos Meat Market has served as a comfort for customers who live far from their country and family.
Valentina Pulido, a Palm Beach State College student, said through a phone call that Latinos Meat Market has helped her feel at home. Pulido, 19, who lives with her aunt in Boca Raton, said that during these times, she wishes she was at home with her family in Bogota, Colombia.
Pulido says that at this business, she can find the food products she deeply misses from her hometown and make them at home with her aunt. Papitas de limon (lemon flavored potato chips), gomitas de fresitas trululu (gummies of fruit flavor), arepas paisa (northwestern corn pancakes) la abuela , mani dulce (sweet peanuts), and manzanilla natural (natural chamomile) are just some of the many products Pulido says she finds at this business.
Pulido, who has been shopping at this business for one year with her aunt, says that during these hard times, Latinos Meat Market makes her feel safe and loved when shopping.
“When this pandemic began, I feared that I would not be able to shop at my favorite business and purchase my favorite foods, yet, they never shut down. They always showed support to our community by offering affordable prices on their products,” said Pulido.
Carlos Castillo, 34 and Network Operations Analyst for Wells Fargo, also finds comfort during these COVID-19 times when at Latinos Meat Market.
Castillo, who was born in Lima, Peru, has been living in Palm Beach County for seven years. He said through a phone call that when he steps foot in Latinos Meat Market, he feels like he is at his family’s home in Peru.
Papa seca (dried potato), Inca’s food habas fritas saladitas (salty fried fava) and the right ingredients to make a traditional ceviche are some of Castillo’s favorite products that he finds in this business, he says.
“The music, the people, the products; everything there makes me feel at peace during the times we are living,” said Castillo. “I feel like I am going back in time when I see so many of the products I had when I was a child here.”
