What makes a city? Its people, streets, culture, vibe or cuisine? For Colombian entrepreneur Juan Carlos Alvarado it’s air… And he is selling it to tourists who go to Medellin for it.
Medellin, also known as the “City of Eternal Spring”, is a popular tourist destination due to its vibrant street culture, beautiful seasons, and famous annual flower festival.
“Here we store the air of Medellin, which is special… A jewel. We do not pack pure air, but that of the city, as it is. Of course, I make sure that it is of quality,” Alvarado told Oddity Central.
According to reports, Alvarado sold 77 bottles of air for $5 (R86.44) each on the first day of sales. On the third day, he is said to have sold around 300 bottles, and made nearly R26 000.
The unorthodox businessman went on to say that he had developed an efficient air-collector device that was 100 percent natural and took between 15 to 30 minutes to trap the particles that evoked the feeling of spring.
Alvarado stated that this was a top-secret technique and did not reveal how the procedure works in order to prevent copycats from marketing their own bottles of air.
There is a mixed bag of comments and thoughts about this unique enterprise on the business’s Instagram page.
Some are mocking the idea, claiming he makes money out of “thin air”. Others, however, have congratulated Alvarado, calling him a genius.
One customer asked, “I got the air out of the jar, refund?”
Another infamous entrepreneur is Stephanie Matto who sells her breast sweat in a jar for $500. She regularly flaunts her house, takes international trips, and more.
“What so few people see is that the flatulence, and the sweat are all just smoke and mirrors.
“I work my a** and ti** off every day on building a life for myself, because I never grew up with opportunities just handed to me.
“Everything I have I bought and built on my own.
“In time, the world will see that.
“For now, stay mad,” Matto wrote on Instagram.
IOL Business