Residents of a street in Guanabacoa watch the Supermarket23 delivery truck with longing
14ymedio, Havana, Darío Hernández, May 15, 2026 — A liquefied gas delivery truck passes through Guanabacoa, in Havana, under the longing gaze of most of the neighbors. The gas cylinders it carries are not for everyone, and even less so for the impoverished pockets of most residents on that block of Delicias Street, between Potosí and Gloria.
It is liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) that can be purchased through the online store Supermarket23, in dollars and from abroad, at a price of 29 dollars per cylinder, including home delivery. The recipient is a woman whose son lives in the United States. On the same street, people have no choice but to cook with charcoal, or eat only bread.
The sale of this fuel in Cuba recently took a turn when, for the first time, the digital sales platform began offering the product in dollars and outside the rationed system, amid this unprecedented energy crisis. This has marked a turning point in the commercialization of a product that, until now, had been tied to a state-regulated distribution system and available only in pesos.
It has also created a new social divide between those who have relatives abroad, who can avoid the long lines and uncertainty of the domestic supply system, and the rest of the population, forced to depend on a completely ineffective system. On this street in Guanabacoa, only one family is privileged.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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