South Florida business owner shares story of Uruguayan heritage, hard work, perseverance

A South Florida entrepreneur is sharing his story of Uruguayan heritage, hard work, and perseverance.

For Andres Gonzalez, the grocery business is more than a job. It's been part of his life since he was 13 years old, working in his parents' store in Uruguay.

After moving to Miami in 2017, he eventually turned his passion for healthy food into a business of his own.

"Right now, I am working a lot. Seven days a week, long shifts, sometimes 12 hours, 15 hours but for me, it's my passion. It's coming with me in my blood, I don't feel like hard work. You know what I mean, it's part of my life," said Andres Gonzalez.

After struggling to find the fresh, organic food he wanted for his own family, Gonzalez saw an opportunity.

 "So, I realized that nobody was offering high-quality products, clean, no pesticides, no chemicals," said Gonzalez.

He opened Kobs Green Market at Plantation Walk, offering products he says he would personally eat, while building something just as important: community

"We have a relationship with our customers. They coming two, three, four times a week," said Gonzalez.

That sense of community extends to his employees. Kitchen manager Carlos Ber runs the kitchen and the grill, cooking up fresh dishes for clients.

"It's a good atmosphere to work here, very good. It's like family to me. I was passing by here and I noticed they were from Uruguay because they were drinking mate, you know what we drink over there, so I figured they ought to be from Uruguay, so I met them and we became really good friends," said Ber.

For Gonzalez, his journey is also a reminder of the opportunity he found after coming to the United States and the work it takes to build something from the ground up.

"It's not easy to start a new business from the ground here, but I think the USA is the best country to do that, so this country bring to you the best opportunity," said Gonzalez.

His advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs: come ready to work hard, make sacrifices, and keep moving forward.