Student started his own business with fruit pulp

She is a fifth-semester student in the Business Administration program, and her project was initially linked to her desire to help others amidst news reports showing how the country's productive sector was collapsing during the lockdown. “At that time, trucks weren't allowed to circulate, so farmers were losing a lot of fruit in the Sabana Centro region where I live. That's when I thought: we have to do something to help those people.”.

Faced with this situation, Luisa Fernanda, motivated by her family, decided to get to work and, with three cousins, began buying some crops. “We went to a woman who gave us the blackberries very cheaply because, between losing money or selling them and making a profit, the latter was better. We visited several other people, and with that product, we began processing and packaging it under our own brand to sell it.”.

That's how he started distributing to stores in Sopó, Chía, Tocancipá, Briceño, and other towns. "My cousins took care of that in their cars. It was exhausting work opening up the market.".

But Luisa, who works in the administrative department of the Isla Morada Restaurant, which once belonged to Andrés Cepeda and is one of the largest and most renowned in the area, didn't hesitate to offer the product to her bosses. “I took the plunge and asked them if they were interested in buying the pulp, and they said yes. Since then, I've been selling them twelve one-kilo units a week.”.

Regarding the profits they've earned from each sale, her business vision is clear. "We've used them to reinvest in the business because our dream is to expand further and create jobs. That's why we're working hard to obtain our Invima registration in the future, since we already have the food handling courses that we follow to the letter.".

For now, they rely on word-of-mouth marketing. "The quality of the product has been important in getting recommendations from one side to the other.".

But that's not the end of the story of this 28-year-old entrepreneur, who has a degree in Physical Education from Sergio Arboleda University and a philanthropic sense partly instilled by UCundinamarca, which is shaping her for life and values and with the focus of transforming her environment.

“I was a soccer player and was part of the Colombian U-15 national team selection process, and I played futsal for a long time. Based on that experience, I created a sports training school in the Hato Grande neighborhood of Sopó. There, I teach this sport to underprivileged children every week. I do it because of the affection I feel for them and as a way to keep them away from the dangers of drugs and other problems.”.

This is the kind of young woman who is compassionate, and the saying by Mother Teresa of Calcutta, "He who does not live to serve, does not deserve to live," fits her perfectly.

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