Our Story
A Tradition Born
in Baracoa
A Friendship That
Started At All
It was there that a lasting friendship began between two ingenious and entrepreneurial men: Eugeniano Legrá, known as Nanín, and José Luis Oliveros, known as Wicho. Both shared an extraordinary ability to see opportunities where others saw only simple, everyday things.
In the humble coconut, they discovered something special: an ingredient with the power to bring people together, awaken memories, and transform a recipe into a tradition. Together, they developed handcrafted coconut sweets whose flavors began captivating family members, neighbors, and visitors. Over time, those recipes became part of the legacy of two families.
A Recipe Born from
Resilience
During the early years of Cuba’s communist regime, Nanín attempted to leave the island with a group of friends. They were intercepted by Cuban border authorities, and he was imprisoned. After his release, he faced social exclusion and severe restrictions on his ability to find employment.
Alongside his wife, Sonia, and their children Alexander, Junior, and Ana Mercedes he relied on creativity, determination, and the family’s coconut recipes as a way to persevere and provide for those he loved. In the 1980s, Nanín was finally able to leave Cuba as a political prisoner. His journey took him first to Panama and later to the United States.
But the tradition did not end with his departure. Wicho remained in Cuba and continued preparing and perfecting those treasured recipes. At a time when independent entrepreneurship could be viewed with suspicion and bring serious consequences, producing and selling homemade sweets had to be done discreetly.
For Wicho, those recipes became much more than a craft. They became an honorable way to support his wife, Ana Eliduvina, and their three children: Aimé, José Luis Jr., and Robin.
Through hard work, patience, and dedication, he continued refining flavors that would leave a lasting impression on many people.
A Son’s Memory
“As a child, I remember many people coming to our home to buy the coconut sweets my father made. Everything was done quietly and discreetly. Customers carefully wrapped and concealed the sweets before leaving, and my father warned us that we should speak about them only with people we trusted. Although I did not fully understand the danger, I felt deeply proud. I would hear people say that they had never tasted anything so delicious. One day, I wrote in large letters on a box: ‘Wicho sells sweets.’ To me, it was an innocent expression of admiration for my father. But when he saw those words, I witnessed his fear. At that age, I could not understand how something that brought joy to so many people could become a reason for punishment. Years later, I understood that the memory of that box represented much more than a childhood moment. It represented the courage of a man who worked tirelessly for his family and kept a tradition alive even under difficult circumstances.”
From a Family Tradition to a New Opportunity
Years later, José Luis Oliveros Jr. devoted much of his life to pastoral ministry in Cuba. His convictions and defense of religious freedom led him to face hardship and persecution, until his journey took a new direction toward the United States.
In this new land, he found the opportunity to reclaim his family’s legacy and share it beyond the walls of his childhood home.
The recipes that for years had to be prepared and sold in silence could finally become the foundation of a brand built with freedom, purpose, and hope.
In honor of his father, José Luis Oliveros “Wicho”, Cocowhichi was born: a brand dedicated to preserving a cherished coconut tradition while honoring the hard work, creativity, perseverance, and love of a family that never allowed its roots to disappear.
Today, every Cocowhichi product
carries a piece of that history:
The flavors of Baracoa
The legacy of two friends
The devotion of a father
The dream of a new generation
COCOWHICHI
The Taste of Family Tradition
Tradition, crafted with purpose and shared with freedom.