Local food ventures are using the new shopping center to reach customers far beyond the city.

The opening of Mall del Alto has brought a wave of international franchises to Cuenca, but some of the shopping center’s most distinctive offerings were created much closer to home.

Inside the new commercial complex on the Cuenca-Azogues highway, locally developed food brands are competing for attention alongside national chains and companies entering the city for the first time. For entrepreneurs from Cuenca, the mall is more than another place to sell cookies, cheeses, chocolates or prepared meals. It is an opportunity to move from neighborhood recognition to a much larger audience.

Mall del Alto opened to the public on May 22nd with approximately 250 commercial spaces. The $100 million project was developed by Grupo Ortiz, a Cuenca-based conglomerate that reported more than $500 million in revenue in 2025.

While the mall includes major retailers and international names, its food courts, kiosks and islands also feature a broad collection of businesses that began in Cuenca.

Local brands enter a larger arena

Among the local ventures are Maki, Casa Origen, Brochelia, The Yogurt House, Monte Bianco, Bocatti, Tabola, Bowlé, La Piazzetta, Moros, Roll.Dot, La Taquería, GoGreen and Arándano. Visitors can also find Basque-style cakes created by chef Caro, as well as newer concepts such as Tarta y Queso, which opened its first kiosk at the mall.

Tokte, an enterprise created by Marcelo García, is using the opening to expand after a decade in business. Sweet Brownie, launched by Daniela García during the pandemic as an online venture, has also moved into the mall.

Another kiosk, Choco Holic, was created by María Fernanda Proaño and Marco Ríos as a showcase for Ecuadorian chocolate produced by smaller businesses. Its selection includes products from Cuenca brands Illaru and Alina.

The mall’s management said the goal is to provide room for local businesses while introducing Cuenca residents to brands that previously had no presence in the city. Demand from entrepreneurs remains strong, and the shopping center is considering adding additional kiosks as more businesses seek space.

A cookie business built from a family recipe

One of the most visible local success stories is Maki, a cookie business created by 25-year-old Doménica Polo Encalada.

Polo began making desserts when she was 12, learning recipes and baking techniques from her grandmother, Rosa Elena Ochoa. She initially sold her creations in classrooms before shifting to online sales during the pandemic.

Although she studied dentistry, baking remained her passion. Two years ago, she opened her first coffee shop with eight cookie flavors and three employees. Her new kiosk at Mall del Alto required an investment of approximately $40,000, an expansion of the production area and the hiring of additional workers.

Maki now offers between 16 and 17 cookie flavors, depending on the season. Polo continues to closely supervise production alongside her grandmother and her boyfriend, Joaquín Castro, maintaining the same hands-on approach that helped the business grow.

The mall location has also introduced the brand to a wider customer base. Polo said many of her new clients have come from outside Cuenca, including visitors from Quito, Guayaquil, Machala, Ambato, Sucúa, Azogues and Gualaceo.

From a Tarqui farm to a mall kiosk

Casa Origen is taking a different path, bringing products from the countryside into a modern commercial setting.

The business grew from the Alvarado family’s agricultural operation in Tarqui, a rural parish south of Cuenca. For 25 years, the family has worked in livestock production, improving the quality of its dairy herd and supplying milk to larger companies.

Over time, the family decided to develop products under its own name. Casa Origen now sells cheeses, burrata, Angus beef cuts, cured ham, cooked pork and other items produced through a network of farming and food-processing partnerships.

The business also developed a chili-infused honey made from beehives on the family property. Its prepared-food menu includes sandwiches made with pulled pork, ham, burrata and cured meats.

For Casa Origen, the kiosk offers customers a chance to buy specialty products while learning more about where their food comes from. For Mall del Alto, the brand illustrates a broader strategy: placing established franchises and emerging Cuenca businesses under the same roof.

As the shopping center settles into its first weeks of operation, its local vendors are testing whether a major retail development can become a launching point for businesses that began in kitchens, classrooms, farms and online storefronts across the city.