Florida Immigrant Families Build Beloved Community Businesses

When Aurora Ynigo opened La Aurora Latin Market in Gainesville in 1999, she and her husband would drive 400 miles to Miami every single week. They'd fill coolers with fresh food requested by homesick neighbors from Peru, Cuba, and Colombia, then drive straight back to stock their shelves.

Twenty-seven years later, that determination has paid off. La Aurora now has its own butcher counter, fresh produce section, and in-house bakery serving fresh Latin American breads and pastries daily.

Aurora crossed the Mexico-U.S. border in the early 1990s and moved to Gainesville in the late 1990s when Peter got a job there. The university town had almost no access to Hispanic products at the time, so she saw an opportunity to serve her growing community.

Her story is one of many uncovered by the Gainesville Business History Project at the University of Florida. Researchers interviewed more than 40 Florida business owners and found immigrant entrepreneurs woven into the fabric of local economies.

In Miami, Eumelia Morales Fernández left Cuba in 1970 and worked as a seamstress before buying a small supermarket with her husband in 1988. They opened Mary's Cafe & Coin Laundry on 27th Avenue, naming it after their daughter Mary.

Mary later ran the business, then passed it to her own daughter Vicky, who manages it today. The menu hasn't changed much since opening day. Everything is still made in-house, from tostadas to pastelitos, served alongside cortaditos and coladas.

Gilberto Argoytia Miranda took a different approach when he arrived from Mexico City. Despite his experience running food trucks, he didn't immediately open a Mexican restaurant in Gainesville. Instead, he studied the local market by working at various restaurants and even delivering for DoorDash.

In 2021, he bought the 16th Avenue Diner, a 50-year-old icon of southern cuisine in Gainesville. His careful research paid off.

The Ripple Effect

Florida hosts roughly 5 million foreign-born residents, about 22% of the state's population. That's significantly higher than the nationwide average of 14%.

These residents make up nearly 50% of the workforce in agriculture, tourism, and construction. About 267,700 of them run their own businesses, creating jobs and opportunities in their communities.

These immigrant-founded businesses often become the places that define a community's character. They're where neighbors gather, where traditions are preserved, and where newcomers find a taste of home.

The nearby history approach recognizes that even small businesses around us are part of our shared story, shaped by the communities they serve and the people who built them from scratch.

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