Cierra Coppelia in Havana: “This is for the long haul”

HAVANA, Nov 10. The capital’s Coppelia is once again in the news, and not exactly good. Its closure caused inconvenience to customers and its workersThey were located in the surrounding area to sell the only sweets left in the warehouse: marquesitas and capitolios at 50 pesos for each unit. There was, and will not be, ice cream until further notice. The fault lies in the lack of raw materials to manufacture it.

Since this Thursday, the emblematic establishment, located on the corner of 23 and L in Vedado, Havana, woke up closed, with the lights off and the tables cleared. “There is no ice cream, there is no milk, there is no sugar, there is nothing,” one of its employees told 14yMedio.

This same medium, she interviewed other workers looking for answers, and what she found was more doubts. Some said that the closure is “for a long time” and that “there will not be frost for a long time.”

Another factor that returned to debate was the poor quality of the product. From the factory where Coppelia ice cream is produced, a source confessed that the best batch in recent months was made only for those attending the G-77 Summit in Havana, with a limited edition for guests and hotels.

The factory, at that time, was militarized to prevent the theft of its employees.

Let us remember that in January Coppelia closed for the same reason. What was once the “Cathedral of Ice Cream” does not escape the evident crisis, a reflection of scarcity and irresponsibility in Cuba.

Let’s add to this the long lines, the poor attention of the employees, the hot water to drink and the clandestine sale of ice cream, which have been constant in recent years.