Mirta de Perales was rich and famous in her home country of Cuba, but all that changed when she left in 1962. With only a few dollars and her two children, she decided to build her way back up in business. She started at the bottom, but she eventually found success again in the cosmetics industry.
Mirta recently passed on at the age of 88, but her amazing story as a woman minority working hard to create a successful business has lived on, reports The Miami Herald.
“Mirta was, at the same time, tough and sweet. She knew every detail of the company and demanded from her staff to always look their best. She was a very good person, to the point of giving many of her employees the down payment they needed to buy a house, and she helped those newly arrived from Cuba to buy their first car. She always said she had to give back all that God had given her. She was a very devoted Catholic.â€
Cuban stylist and entrepreneur Samy said De Perales was the pride of Hispanics because, despite being a woman, a Cuban and an exile, she established her brand in a country that was new to her.
“Mirta made her dream come true and opened the doors to people like me who wanted to follow in her footsteps,†said Samy, who remembers her as an affectionate and elegant woman who always had sweet things to tell him. “She carried forward her trajectory from Cuba and dared to compete in the major leagues with a lot of success. Her products continue to fascinate because they have an exquisite quality.â€
Screenshot from Mirta de Perales, Inc.