Roccibella, from Venezuelan street food vendor to leading beauty brand in the US.
Miami (USA), Apr 30 (EFE)
Venezuelan Roccibella says it is still possible to pursue “dreams” in the United States, where in 2015 she sold food “without papers” on the streets of Houston and now, thanks to being an ‘influencer’, heads her own Korean skin care company adapted to Latin skin.
“We all have dreams all over the world. Dreams aren’t easy, but they’re not impossible either; you have to work for them. I feel that right now there are many opportunities on social media, whether it’s creating a fairly small community through views,” he declared in an interview with EFE in Miami.
The case of the Venezuelan woman, whose real name is Roccibel Volpicella, reflects the growing power of Hispanic entrepreneurs in the United States, where Latino-owned businesses rose 44% between 2018 and 2023 to over 465,000, according to a report by Stanford University.
These Latino companies made up almost 8% of private employers in the U.S. in 2022, generating more than 3.5 million jobs and $653 billion in revenue, an annual increase of 14.1% and 18.9%, respectively, according to a Brookings Institute study.
Roccibella, originally from Ciudad Ojeda, in the state of Zulia, began to look for income in 2015 in Houston (Texas), where she did not speak English, did not have a driver’s license and tried to understand how the United States worked, while boiling a pot and taking pictures of her dishes to sell them at home.
“I arrived selling food on a bicycle. On the second day after I arrived here, my boyfriend, who is now my husband, broke his kneecap and meniscus, went into surgery, began a rehabilitation process, and I, without speaking English, without knowing the language, and without papers, started selling food on the streets,” she recounts.
From immigrant to beauty influencer
Her partner encouraged her to start a YouTube channel to reach more clients, so she opened her account and uploaded a tutorial on facial contouring, recorded with a low-capacity phone, in the same garage where she cooked, and with natural light as the only production.
“After a year and a half, my first YouTube check arrived, and it was for $150. That’s when I realized there was an opportunity, not only to monetize with views, but also to collaborate with brands,” he says.
That’s when she found a niche: Latin women in the United States who seek beauty and care advice given the high cost of beauty salons and cosmetics in the country.
Now, with more than 24 million combined followers across her YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok accounts, she also motivates other Latin American women to start businesses through their social media networks.
Korean skincare for Latin skin
Given the popularity of her beauty tutorials, Roccibella founded Zenttu, a company that brought together three laboratories and 21 companies specializing in Korean skincare to develop products of that quality, but suitable for Latin American skin.
This means, she explains, that they adapt to the climate and the types of makeup that Latinas use, which are usually waterproof, while Korean makeup “is much lighter.”
“Over there in Korea, people take care of their skin from a very young age, while here we don’t have that culture; we start taking care of ourselves when the problem is already upon us,” says the entrepreneur, who perceives that skin care has broken down stigmas, so more and more young people and men are practicing it.
Pedro Pablo Cortés
