Jose comes from a long line of successful entrepreneurs — he met his future wife, Cecy in 2012, while both were working at his father’s shop — but he aspired to create his own small business success with paletas, an iconic, icy dessert. So in 2015 he opened Paleteria San Antonio at his father’s restaurant to test the concept and to perfect the product. “I make paletas as if they were for me, my wife or my daughter,” said Jose, “I make them with a lot of heart so that customers can enjoy them.” After testing the concept, Jose responded to a request for proposal for food retail at San Antonio’s iconic Hemisfair Park and won the bid with other businesses. With a $5,000 business loan from LiftFund Jose and Cecy were able to open their storefront at Hemisfair. After a year in business, the paleteria has become part of everyday life at the park while continuing to grow their business and their flavors.
