Marietta Tavares Alvarenga started her business, Pastelaria Rosy, in 1975, just days after Angola celebrated its national independence.
In the Angolan province of Cabinda, local residents purchased goods from Pastelaria Rosy for Marietta’s fresh homemade cakes, breads, and ice cream. The bakery also was popular locally for its policy of donating items to orphanages, hostels, and the needy. But, like any ambitious small-business owner, Marietta wanted to expand her operations.
ChevronTexaco’s Angola subsidiary, Cabinda Gulf Oil Co. Ltd., gave Marietta and other local entrepreneurs six weeks of business training in management, accounting, and marketing. Marietta was sent to a conference for African entrepreneurs in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The company signed a two-year, $200,000 catering contract with Pastelaria Rosy that helped Marietta renovate her bakery and expand to two other locations for restaurant and catering services. The number and variety of clients also grew to include private and public concerns, such as local government institutions, Sonangol (Angola’s national oil company), and other local and foreign companies in Cabinda.
Today, Marietta’s bakery caters important festivals, conferences, and meetings, often for scores of attendees. When ChevronTexaco sponsored the opening ceremonies at a remotely located high school, for example, Marietta catered food and trimmings for more than 200 guests, including the Vice Minister of Education, and the Cabinda Governor and Vice Governor of Social Affairs.
ChevronTexaco funds large-scale as well as small-business investments in Angola. For example, the company helped create the Lobito Fabrication Yard – then became its first customer. Run by a consortium of Angolan design, engineering, and fabrication companies in partnership with ChevronTexaco, the yard already has built nearly 3,500 tons of offshore production structures for the company and its operating partners. These projects alone created 400 direct jobs and twice as many positions in related businesses.