Social enterprises operate with business models whose objective is not limited only to generating profits, but also prioritizes social and/or environmental impact. Many times, even the money generated as a result of the operation of the aforementioned business models is reused to be invested in the social or environmental objective that motivates them.
In Peru, the Wiese Foundation has the Entrepreneur Fund program , through which it has been contributing to the financing, relationship building, and capacity building of four social enterprises in Peru that are raising eyebrows due to their innovative solutions and the value they bring to the society. Here we tell you more about these 4 examples of social entrepreneurship in Peru .
1. Empanacombi
This social enterprise is developed in the gastronomic sector and aims at the production and sale of empanadas, among other delicious and handmade products. The social motivation of this project is to generate employment for people with some kind of disability and, in fact, to date this company has 50% of workers with this condition; which have continued to generate income for their homes, even in the pandemic.
From the creation of the Empanacombi virtual store, in addition to the expansion of their B2B sales channels. Empanacombi has a virtual store, aimed at the final consumer. This sales channel has a solid, friendly and intuitive design that allows easy acquisition of brand products that, after purchase, are distributed via delivery throughout Metropolitan Lima.
2. Llama Pack
The purpose of this venture is to benefit the communities of the Sacred Valley of Cusco, by proposing llamas as an alternative means of transporting cargo for tourists who visit this area of the country. With this initiative, employment is generated for the community members, in addition to raising awareness about the protection of the Andean ecosystem. In the midst of the pandemic, when tourist activity ceased due to the state of emergency, Llama Pack reinvented itself without losing its purpose; through the sale of llama guano for surrounding crops,
As well as crowdfunding campaigns aimed at continuing training for the llama herders with whom it works, specialized consultancies in ecotourism with llamas and the management of donations; In this way, they were able to continue generating income to support the company and collaborate with the population, while local tourism was reactivated. If you want to know how to help this social enterprise so that it continues to grow and at the same time collaborate with the community members of the Sacred Valley.
3. Pixed
Pined is an innovative social entrepreneurship in Peru. This is not only in charge of manufacturing personalized prostheses and other related equipment and instruments for those who need it, but also offers psychological support for the inclusion of people with physical disabilities in school, work and society. During the state of emergency, Pined also had to stop their main operations for several months, but they took the opportunity to reinvent themselves and create biosecurity devices.
That allowed them to continue generating income to be invested in their main objective. Through the manufacture of biosecurity devices, such as face shields, Pied made alliances with various companies that allowed it to have the necessary financial liquidity to maintain itself during the quarantine. This social entrepreneurship stopped many promising plans in 2020, due to the pandemic, but plans to resume them this 2021.
4. Quirky
The fourth and outstanding social enterprise of the Entrepreneur Fund program has to do with the fashion sector. Estrafalario works empowering the women of the Chorrillos Annex prison, offering them decent work, trains adolescent mothers from INABIF and develops projects with various artisan associations nationwide. Likewise, it seeks to extend the useful life and uses of the garments
It manufactures, making versatile designs, generating a circular economy, recycling and/or using organic fabrics, and offering fair payment to its clothing service providers. Estrafalario works with sustainable inputs such as organic natural fibers and recycled products. For example, the lyres of their swimwear are made from ECONYL, a regenerated and 100% sustainable product. If you want to know more about Estrafalario,
Wiese Foundation and social enterprises in Peru
Social enterprises help create a better world, take care of the environment and generate an impact on the most vulnerable communities in our society. The Wiese Foundation continues to believe and bet on them, not only with financial financing, but also with legal and financial support, as well as the development of skills that their leaders need to continue growing. In this sense, the Entrepreneur Fund invests and promotes enterprises with clear potential for growth, self-sustainability and social impact, whose mission is to address a relevant social problem in the country.
