The private company A granel offers diesel at $2.50 per liter starting at a certain quantity.
14ymedio, Havana, Darío Hernández, July 1, 2026 / There are few places in Havana right now as cool as the sales office of A granel, a new mipyme [MSME*] selling fuel imported from the United States that has generated a great deal of talk despite its short existence. Located in Arroyo Arenas, in the Havana municipality of La Lisa, the new private company launched this past June 27 with a video on social media featuring Cuban influencer Iraisel Pintueles, which has stirred up more controversy than information.
Amid criticism and defense, the influencer explained a few details about the mipyme: most notably, that the owner is “a private entity with capital from abroad, with no connection whatsoever to any person or member of the Government, that pays taxes, and that has its documentation and permits in order to supply fuel to other private individuals and to Cubans without State intermediation,” she noted. Little else was said.
For the moment, A granel, which already has 3,333 followers on Instagram despite its first and only post having gone up just days ago, is selling diesel at $2.50 per liter, as 14ymedio was able to confirm during a visit to the industrial warehouse located at the end of Avenida del Puerto, where the business operates. The warehouse belongs to the Cuban Lubricant Company (Cubalub), which is owned by the state-run Cupet.
An employee did not hide her expression when the more-than-obvious display of money and resources at the mipyme was mentioned. The clientele is likewise far from modest. In the loading area this past Tuesday, several tractor-trailers could be seen loading new trucks and modern vehicles. Inside the industrial warehouse, dozens of 1,000-liter tanks were stacked up, in stark contrast to the near-total lack of fuel supply at gas stations across Havana.
Although the brief promotional clip mentioned a price of $1.75 per liter, this past Tuesday the rate was $2.50, though it remains unclear what the minimum purchase quantity is. What is clear, however, is that not just anyone can gain access. The promotion also indicated that the process was simple: “You come and you get invoiced,” says one employee of the mipyme. The truth is that payment must be made from abroad, and only private companies may buy, although nowhere is it stated that buyers cannot resell to individuals or even to the State, despite Washington’s sanctions.
According to an employee who spoke to this newspaper, the self-employed (cuentapropistas) still cannot purchase diesel, and although authorities told them that these customers would also be authorized to do so, obstacles to this remain. Nevertheless, arranging for a mipyme to act as the formal buyer is an alternative route that is already being used.
A granel’s tanks hold 1,000 liters, and although a customer can buy a full one, as the company’s own name indicates, the customer can take whatever quantity they wish.
The situation stands in contrast to the sales that had predominated until now. “One of those 1,000-liter tanks costs 30,000 fulas [dollars, in Cuban slang]” a customer who travels to Playa Baracoa (in Bauta, Artemisa province) to buy fuel tells 14ymedio. “That works out to about three dollars a liter. People resell it for five.” The buyer explains that the minimum purchase is 3,000 liters, although some mipymes manage to buy less. “I should have gone today, even though I’m tired. Still, I go there and I feel happy, because you have to buy two or three of those things, but they sell it to me at five dollars. Generally, around here people are selling it to you for more than 20.”
The U.S. oil blockade against the Cuban regime, in effect since January 29, permits only fuel imports carried out by the private sector, which is fueling the proliferation of resale businesses. This past Tuesday, another new company emerged, Gassolina importada, which is advertising itself in Havana as offering “borderless energy at only $4.85 per liter.” Here, sales begin starting at 20 liters, according to the promotion.
“Sales prices for fuel in foreign currency will be updated, upward or downward, in accordance with the actual costs of each specific transaction,” the Cuban Government announced this past May 15. At that time, 14ymedio conducted a survey and found that not all service stations were selling at the same price. On Línea and E streets, special B-94 gasoline was priced at $2, regular B-90 at $1.90, motor-grade B-83 at $1.80, and regular diesel at $2.
A month and a half later, prices remain the same, but freely available fuel sold through the Ticket app has disappeared in Havana since May 28. Only a handful of gas stations outside the capital remain open, particularly in the provinces of Matanzas and Sancti Spíritus.
Since the United States began selling gasoline to private individuals on the island, the business has flourished, and its exports to Cuba have risen from just $87,746 in January -almost entirely oils and lubricants- to $12,375,227 in April. In total, in the first four months of the year, purchases from the island grew 74% and topped more than $291 million.
*In English, “MSME” for Micro, Small, Medium Enterprise
Translated by GH.
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