Not long ago, this spot in Havana, Cuba, was just a garage. Now it is a small grocery store.

Need cooking oil, tomato sauce, or Hershey’s cocoa powder? How about Nutella, shampoo, cookies, or jam? A sign advertises that those goods can be found inside. Cuba is short on supplies. For locals, that list points to a treasure trove.

The shop has no name. Dozens like it have sprung up around Cuba in recent months. Locals call them “mipymes” (mee-PEE-mehs).

The Cuban government has allowed small businesses to open since 2021. Many are shops like this one. Others are sewing workshops, fisheries, and construction firms. Officials hope they will help people make money and get what they need. Nearly 9,000 businesses have been approved so far.

The problem? Garage groceries cost a pretty penny.

Imagine you’re a doctor living in Cuba. You make 7,000 Cuban pesos each month. That’s about $28. You go shopping at the grocery garage. Two pounds of powdered milk cost $8. A jar of mayonnaise goes for $4. About five pounds of chicken will set you back another $8. Most Cubans can’t afford garage groceries at all.

Ania Espinosa visits a little shop. She pays $1.50 for a packet of potato chips for her daughter. “This is a luxury,” she says.

Ingracia Virgen Cruzata is a retiree. She says she “can’t even buy a package of chicken.”

For decades, communist leaders controlled business in Cuba. The government owned most goods. Their plan? Give out goods to everyone equally. But that never works well. Cubans became poor and hungry. Most still struggle today.

Mipymes can help . . . but they really only help the rich.

When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan. — Proverbs 29:2