Doña Angela, Agriculture, and Selina Hotels
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Doña Angela, Agriculture, and Selina Hotels
Welcome to Latinometrics. We bring you Latin American insights and trends through concise, thought-provoking data visualizations.
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Today's charts:
How many views does this Abuelita get on YouTube?!
On a scale from Argentina to Guatemala, how agricultural is your country?
A Panamanian brand is disrupting the hotel industry
Make sure you check out the comment of the week at the bottom!
YouTubers 🧅🍅🌶
Doña Ángela has become a superstar of Latin American YouTube with her channel "De Mi Rancho a tu Cocina." A few times per week, she shares her cooking recipes and tradition, which have captured the attention of millions worldwide, bringing in over 4M subscribers. However, Doña Ángela isn't a famous actress nor a recognized chef with a long trajectory and Michelin stars. She's a traditional Abuelita from rural Mexico who decided to share her culture through food.
What's most mind-blowing: her videos get more views than some of the most recognized cooking figures, including Martha Stewart and Gordon Ramsay. While Martha, Gordon, and nearly all the channels on the chart have production teams and top-of-the-line equipment, Doña Angela cooks in her own humble kitchen, and her daughter records all of the content with her phone.
Her channel has become a topic of interest to researchers, one of which included it as part of the "YouTubers Campesinos" tendency. Schools have also used videos of Doña Ángela for language instruction. A Swedish university cited her channel as a means for migrants to reconnect with their culture when away from home.
And, as two Mexicans living abroad, we agree. Doña Angela's popularity among its subscribers is attributed to our fondness for traditional forms of gastronomy, a loving and caring Abuela, and our craving for enchiladas.
If you want to see her in action, check out her tutorial for making enchiladas, which has racked up almost 11M views.
Agriculture 🚜
Since 1991, when the World Bank began reporting countries' share of employment in the agricultural sector, the world's percentage has dropped from 44% to 27% in 2019. Latin America has had a surprisingly lower rate than the world's average in that same period — from 21% to 14%. Here's what's interesting: agricultural output since 1991 has expanded by more than double.
How? One word: efficiency. As countries and technologies develop, agriculture becomes more automated, and there is less need for people to participate. Populations become more service and technology-oriented, moving into urban areas. Rich countries generally have a much lower share of their populations working in agriculture; for example, North America's share (excluding Mexico) is only 1.4%.
There are two extremes in Latin America — Guatemala, with a rate of 31%, is the region's most agricultural country. Its population is scattered across rural areas, and its economy largely depends on its farmland, which is one of the top world producers of cardamom, bananas, and coffee.
On the other hand, Argentina's agricultural employment rate has been below 1% since 1991. Land laws and industrialization have allowed land to be concentrated in fewer hands, with few specialized farmers producing the entirety of the country's output, which has actually been increasing over time.
Hospitality Industry 🛌
Rafael Museri had served 12 years in the Israeli army before he moved to Latin America in search of new opportunities. He met his business partner, Daniel Rudasevski, and started a real estate development company in Panama. After ten years, they both embarked on a year-long market research journey that has taken them to own and operate the largest chain of its kind — a hotel experience for digital nomads and millennials.
As Rafael and Daniel traveled the world, they lodged in more than 120 hotels and hostels, ideating a place that was perfect for meeting new people and also accommodating for working professionals. After concluding their trip, they opened the first Selina in the small surfing community of Venao, Panama. Since that launch, the company has become a global chain, operating 100+ locations in 13 Latin American countries and 9 more worldwide.
Although Selina competes in the millennial category of hotels (yes, there's such a thing), it offers something for everyone. You can get luxury lofts and suites, or you can also get a hammock or a bed in a shared room. Their concept is far more ambitious than a simple hotel/hostel hybrid, though: Selina creates music, wellness, and culinary experiences. Every location also has a co-working space and an atmosphere that encourages fellow guests to meet.
Selina and its contender for the top of the category, Moxy, both launched in 2016. With the 34 locations Selina is on track to open, it seems like it will outpace Moxy soon. Why is that especially impressive? Moxy is owned and operated by Marriott, a company with 65 years of hotel experience and about $5B in yearly revenues.
Realize Latin America’s Potential 🚀
This week’s opportunity:
Selina has an impressive 294 open roles all around Latin America. Everything from cooks, to accountants, to general managers, and even internship opportunities.
Hiring Managers: Reply to this email if you’d like to feature an open role in our newsletter.
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That’s all for this week 👋
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