Emmanuel & Ricardo

Emmanuel & Ricardo

A loan of $25,000 helps an LGBTQ+ couple (& repeat Kiva borrowers!) grow and expand their innovative wine-based gelato business.

Emmanuel & Ricardo

Emmanuel & Ricardo's story

Three years ago, we decided to embark on a journey that would change our lives. As wine and dessert lovers, we always had the question if it would be possible to combine wine and ice cream into one dessert. It wasn't until a spontaneous conversation that we realized it was a dream we both had in common. Instead of waiting, we decided to make it our task, and so, we created Divinissimo Gelato (Divine Italian-style ice cream) by running multiple trials until we reached the perfect recipe.

When we discussed how we were going to move forward, once the product was ready, we figured out that one of us is experienced in Business and Marketing (great for Management) while the other has experience in the Food Industry with knowledge in Science (great for Production) - creating the perfect balance for this project. On the other hand, we are both very creative and intuitive people with mixed Bachelor's Degrees: one in Architecture and Communications and the other in Music and Biochemistry. Even though our backgrounds are completely different, we decided to give a turn to our lives by dedicating ourselves to the Culinary Arts: our shared passion.

We didn’t expect that our families and friends would react so excitedly by trying the wine gelatos for the first time. For that reason, we decided to share our delicious gelatos infused with wine, fruits, and spices by opening the 1st wine-based gelato shop in Puerto Rico (and the world!).

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