From ketchup to car parts, Cuba gets private sector makeover
A taxi driver navigates his classic American car past the "Capitolio," inspired by the U.S. Capitol among other iconic buildings around the world, in Havana, Cuba, Thursday, June 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)
From grocery stores to restaurants and fuel, Cuba's burgeoning private sector is filling the vacuum left by a collapsing communist-run state.
The days when Cubans used ration books to buy all their essentials in state-run "bodegas" are nearing an end, expedited by the worst economic crisis in recent memory and a crippling U.S. fuel blockade.
Sitting on the porch of a state-run grocery store in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, Joaquin Velazquez watches the comings and goings at the private mini-market next door.
