HAVANA – A Cuban perfume maker gets help for her business from outside sources, including a company in Fort Lauderdale.
Clara Camalleri taught Local 10 News reporter Hatzel Vela about the world of fragrance, while writing down the chemical mixture she thought would make the perfect formula.
Camalleri said she wants to know what her customers' sense of smell likes before concocting her formula.
Camalleri, who said she is the only private sector perfume maker on the island, uses her home in Havana as her laboratory.
She's a chemical engineer by trade -- an element vital to what she does.
She said to be a perfume maker one needs to start off young, because the training takes five to 10 years. She said your sense of smell must also be in top shape.
"I didn't realize that I had a good sense of smell, but I did love chemistry," she said.
Camalleri's goal is to sell individualized fragrances.
She said she loves what she does and has always wanted to do something on her own, but it hasn't been easy.
Camalleri imports all of her fragrances from aboard, and she often works with a company out of Fort Lauderdale called Cosmo.
She said business is doing well and she's just trying to keep up with demands.
Each bottle is filled one by one. To speed up the process, one of her workers uses pieces from an eye dropper, made to fit with a controlled bottle stopper, so they can fill the glass bottles faster without any spills.
Camalleri believes that her business has a bright future, especially because her team has an enormous desire to work.
She said she is thankful to Cuba Enprende, a church-based organization that helps Cuban entrepreneurs go from an idea to actual business.
It's where people like Camalleri and her colleagues learn about marketing, sales and other business strategies, like attending fairs, where they can expose their product.