Cuban entrepreneurs hope for room to grow as the government ponders reform

Dalieny Ortega, owner of a laundry service, speaks to her employees in Havana, Cuba, August 17, 2022. REUTERS/Alexandre Meneghini

For those seeking proof that even modest foreign investment can help propel Cuba's fledgling entrepreneurs, look no further than Oscar Fernandez's Havana-based dried fruit business.

Thanks to a $40,000 loan from abroad, the family-run company, registered last year after a government rule change that authorized small businesses, upgraded antique equipment to state-of-the-art dehydrating ovens and a packaging machine.