The legacy of Calixto Romero
The story of Calixto Romero Hernández demonstrates just how far a vision can take you. In this case, the vision was what opportunities lay across the Atlantic, in America.
Calixto’s hardworking nature and entrepreneurial and adventurous spirit enabled him to see the opportunities that arose along the way. Curious, intelligent, and well-informed, Calixto always believed that anything was possible with education, hard work and dedication. Calixto’s legacy is today the ROMERO GROUP, one of the most important business groups in Peru.
The early years of an entrepreneur
The eldest son of a well-to-do rural family, Calixto’s education in Spain piqued his interest in what lay beyond his homeland. In 1874, 16-year-old Calixto left Soria, crossed the Atlantic, and set foot in America for the first time. He began trading in Central America and the Caribbean, and, during one of his trips, arrived in the Peruvian city of Catacaos with his business partner and friend Manual Torres. The pair were dazzled by the bustling trade in the region, and in 1888 they moved to the country for good. There, they invested their entire savings in a straw hat business. Their perseverance and their understanding of the need to invest money to make money, of the importance of trust, and of the value of time, took care of the rest.
Calixto’s travels
In 1874, Calixto boarded a steamer in the Spanish port of Vigo and headed for Central America. Between 1882 and 1883, he travelled to Valparaíso (Chile) for trade, visiting the booming Peruvian cities of Catacaos and Arequipa for the first time. On September 28, 1888, he left his home in Puerto Rico to move definitely to Catacaos.
After 21 years in Central and South America, in 1895 he sailed to Spain to see his family and attend his sister’s wedding.
In 1913, after consolidating his businesses and handing them over to Timoteo Hernández, Dionisio Romero Iturrospe and Feliciano del Campo, he once again returned to Spain.
In 1914, Calixto embarked on his last journey to Peru. After several months there, he bid farewell to the country and returned to his birthplace for good.
Timeline
