Our Story

While other botanicas were still cash-only and walk-in only, one Cuban-American entrepreneur was building the future of Santeria commerce — online, global and fully featured.

The Vision Nobody Else Had

In 2003, Nelson Carrasco, founder of Nelstar Services Inc, had a vision that nobody else in the Santeria and Lucumi community had yet acted on: a complete, fully-featured online botanica. Not just a basic website with a phone number — a real eCommerce store with product catalogs, shopping carts, secure checkout, customer accounts, reward points and package tracking — all the technology that major retailers were using, applied for the first time to authentic Santeria supplies.

While traditional botanicas required practitioners to show up in person, pay cash, and hope the item they needed was in stock, Nelson was building something completely different. From his operation in Hialeah, Florida, at the heart of the Cuban-American community, he launched auctions609.com — and changed the way the Lucumi world shops forever.

The Miami Herald & El Nuevo Herald — Front Page, November 22, 2006

Just three years after launching, Nelson’s pioneering work caught the attention of the mainstream media. On Wednesday, November 22, 2006, both The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald ran front-page stories about Nelstar Services and how Nelson was globalizing Santeria through the internet. The headline said it all:

Nelson was featured alongside major national stories of the day — a testament to the cultural and commercial significance of what he had built. The article highlighted how Nelstar Services was already serving customers in Amsterdam, Minneapolis, Spain and Texas — reaching Santeros and Lucumi practitioners worldwide who had never before had access to authentic supplies.

Telemundo Came Knocking — Twice

The very next day after the Miami Herald story ran, Telemundo was at Nelson’s door for an interview. The story of a Cuban-American entrepreneur revolutionizing how the Lucumi community accesses sacred supplies was too compelling to ignore. Two separate Telemundo interviews — in 2006 and again in 2008 — reached millions of Spanish-speaking viewers across the United States and Latin America, cementing Nelstar Services as the most recognized online Santeria store in the community.

20+ Years Later — Still The Most Trusted

Today, Nelstar Services Inc remains one of the most trusted and comprehensive online sources for authentic Santeria, Yoruba, Lucumi and Palo Mayombe supplies in the United States. With over 3,000 products spanning every aspect of the tradition — from Orisha tools and beaded elekes to sacred wood items, ceremonial clothing, Ifa divination supplies, soperas, crowns and spiritual books — the mission Nelson started in 2003 is stronger than ever.

From the first Santero who placed an order in 2003, to the thousands of practitioners, Babalawos, Paleros and botanica owners who shop with us today — Nelstar Services has always stood for one thing: making authentic sacred supplies accessible to every practitioner, everywhere in the world, with the knowledge and respect this tradition deserves.

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