Minneapolis entrepreneur Daniel Hernandez investing millions back into community
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis businessman is looking to do things no other Hispanic entrepreneur has done in the city.
Daniel Hernandez has shared with WCCO in the past about hard times he's endured, like when the supermarket he owns was vandalized and broken into on separate occasions.
A hurricane in his native Mexico destroyed the homes and property of close family, yet a smile is never far from Hernandez's face.
His Colonial Market, a Hispanic grocery and restaurant, has items you won't find in most other stores.
Gladys Torres Almonte was shopping there Sunday, as she often does, and pointed out the platanos.
"Being Dominican, that's one of our staples, along with rice," she said.
Hernandez says 90% of what he sells comes from other countries.
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Just as authenticity is the goal for his food, it holds true for himself as well. Hernandez says that means giving back to Minneapolis, his adopted hometown after moving here as a teenager.
"While everyone's running away from Minneapolis, everybody's scared of Minneapolis, we're actually investing millions of dollars here in Minneapolis," he said.
Hernandez's goal is a chain of groceries, and he'll be opening his second Colonial Market this summer near Lake and Hiawatha, just blocks from some of the worst looting and damage of the 2020 riots.
"In Mexico, it's popular to name little towns 'colonials,'" he said. "When I was growing up, I lived in a colonial, so that's why we call it Colonial [Market]."
Hernandez also owns an accounting business, a marketing firm and a breakfast restaurant, Fusion Pancake House.
He says he employs more than 80 people, which is a point of pride.
Hernandez is also active on social media, where his "Danny en Minnesota" accounts keep him connected with the community he loves.
"[Videos are] about anything and everything and some things are really funny," he said. "Some things are really serious, but the good thing is Latinos are like that."
Hernandez says he plans to begin teaching business workshops.
"The first thing I think about is, 'What am I going to do today and how am I going to improve the community that I live in?'" he said.