- IoT empanada machine CM05i
- Semi-automatic empanada machine CM05S
- Empanadas and arepas machine CM06
- Wheat empanada machine CM07
- Multifunctional empanadas and arepas machine CM06B
- Mixed empanadas and arepas machine CM08
Colombian entrepreneurs who win the battle against adversity with the help of technology
Emma Mesa, Nellysabeth Murillo and Leiqui Uriana have not let themselves be defeated even by the pandemic. Here are their stories.
Surviving the pandemic was not easy for hundreds of businesses in the country, which had to quickly adapt to the new conditions imposed by the coronavirus.
According to the results of a study by Facebook, the OECD and the World Bank, companies led by women have been the hardest hit by the pandemic, being 11 percent more likely to close.
Despite the difficulties and the threat of losing what they had achieved, these Colombian women celebrate the success their ventures have had thanks to technology and social media, even in the midst of uncertainty.
Emma Mesa – Maquiempanadas
The Americans have designed all kinds of machines to make their fast food, and the Italians have done the same to optimize the preparation of pizzas. But machines to make empanadas on a large scale and in less time had never been seen before.
Business administrator Emma Mesa discovered that in Colombia the most consumed typical food was the empanada, around 12 million a day, according to the research she conducted for her master's studies.
That's how he came up with his business idea ten years ago. He proposed to his father, a mechanical engineer by profession, Carlos Mesa, to design a machine to make empanadas, a process that until then had been done manually.
Today, Maquiempanadas is a company that is dedicated to the manufacture of machinery for the preparation of typical Latin food: empanadas, stuffed potatoes, patacones, arepas, among others.
These equipment manufacture from 500 to 2,000 empanadas per hour, and their designs range from the simplest and most practical for restaurateurs to automated machines for greater production.
Emma says that at first it was very difficult to move forward with her project, since the technology they offered was not well received in Colombia. After presenting their products at exhibitions and implementing traditional marketing strategies, they decided to choose to publicize their product through social networks.
According to Facebook data, more than 311,000 people in Colombia are part of more than 1,650 groups related to female entrepreneurship on Facebook. The Manizale native affirms that in said social network they discovered that there was a potential market in the United States, where 8 out of 10 Americans have contact with a Latino.
“In these years, one of our most important achievements is that we have transformed Latin food through our machines,” highlights the entrepreneur.
This is demonstrated by their figures because, in this decade, they have exported their products to 32 countries, they have 8 patents as innovative products and in 2020 they closed with sales of two million dollars, of which 70 percent were for the North American market.
Regarding female entrepreneurship, Emma highlights that it is necessary to empower women and support their businesses, since women have the full capacity to create a business, move in the international market, venture into technology and develop innovative proposals.
According to data provided by Confecámaras, 51 percent of natural person companies created in 2020 are led by women.
Nellysabeth Murillo – Color and Hope Foundation
Social entrepreneurship is a challenge, and Nelly is an example of this. He was born in Riosucio, Chocó, but grew up in Unguía, a picturesque town in the north of the department. About 15,321 people live there, of which more than two thousand are children between 5 and 12 years old.
The entrepreneur remembers when she was part of that number, and as a child she played bathing in the rain, running with bare feet through the cobblestone streets. Nelly says that that joy was overshadowed by the noise of bullets and the conflict of groups outside the law.
The violence and the complex economic situation of his department, in his words, “were small obstacles in the face of all the desire I had to move forward and see the children of my town have a life project.” With this purpose in mind, Nelly, who is a lawyer specializing in administrative law, gave life to Fundación Color y Esperanza.
During her time studying, she saw that there were computers, the Internet, and several universities, and she wondered why the children of her town couldn't access all those things. Therefore, he decided to positively impact the lives of hundreds of children in the department and contribute to their development through education.
It all started with a donation of gifts: the daughter of a great friend wanted a Christmas bicycle and made a collection to give it to her, then Nelly was delivering 17 gifts at that Christmas party in 2005... to date they have already delivered close to 30 thousand gifts.
However, he points out, children not only need gifts at Christmas, they also need education, the Internet, computers and something to do in their free time. It was not just about feeding his stomach, but about feeding his mind, positively transforming his life and, with it, that of the people around him.
This is how Casa de Colores was born, a project supported by the community, volunteers, the parish that had the place and the Uber company that provided it with computers.
This space seeks to promote the good habit of reading and taking advantage of free time through new information technologies. This in order to snatch hundreds of boys, girls and adolescents from Chocó from the war and reduce teenage pregnancy rates.
The House was inaugurated on February 28, 2020 and only 28 children attended, a year later they have approximately 90 children per month, who take programming courses, making video games, creating a website, thanks to the support of the BeginIT company.
“Unfortunately we do not have the support of large companies or celebrities. But the important thing is that, even if we do not receive that support for now, people see that in the department of Chocó there is a foundation that, although it is small and does not have financial muscle, really wants to work for children and adolescents,” highlights Nelly.
For this reason, it has been essential to make known through social networks the work carried out by the foundation, which in this decade has fought to transform the lives of the little ones through education and technology.
Starting out has not been easy, he has had to knock on a thousand doors, he has lost his strength, he has cried. Even so, he says, the key is to persist and not lose hope.
Nelly dreams that once her voice is heard, the same one that embraces the voices of the children of her town, Casa de Colores will reach every corner of the municipalities of the department. “As long as I live, I will fight for the children of Chocó,” he says with a smile on his face.
Leiqui Uriana – Wayuu Communications Network
If anyone can talk about social transformations through technology, it is Leiqui Uriana, with his community journalism initiative.
“Our project is called Wayuu Communications Network and it is a collective of Colombian-Venezuelan social communicators, made up of various organizations and independent journalists, which is aimed at informing the community about what is happening in the territory and addressing the information deserts that exist in La Guajira,” describes Leiqui.
Within the framework of the pandemic, the work of the network was crucial, since they reported on what was happening, generated a preventive campaign to control infection rates in the territory and explained the contributions of traditional medicine.
Their venture was born within communities and has been consolidated on social networks, especially on Facebook, and in cyberspace.
“Facebook's goal is to empower women with tools that help them strengthen their digital presence so that their businesses and initiatives grow. When women grow, so do communities and the economy,” highlights Paula Bárcenas, Facebook Diversity and Inclusion leader for the Andean Region.
“We are preparing for a new economy, and women are the key to success and post-pandemic recovery,” says Silvina Moschini, CEO and founder of SheWorks!
For Leiqui, although technology has driven the homogenization of cultures and societies, the reflections they have had as a community have led them to consider technology as a tool that they can use to preserve the memory of their people, strengthen cultural identity and promote our customs and culture itself among the younger generations.
Taking into account that many Wayuu have a presence on social networks, its purpose is to generate content that helps strengthen ethnic identity and not to globalize the identity of all Wayuu in cyberspace.
A decade ago it was complex to start this project, there were several conversations and meetings regarding what they wanted to do from within the territory to show it on the platform. Still, Leiqui says, it is difficult for them to use technology, but they are aimed at optimizing this type of resources to reach new audiences and massify their content so that more people know their reality, history, territory and culture.
In these ten years they have carried out two versions of their Wayuu Communications School, from which they have celebrated two graduations with 44 young people trained in the process. Likewise, they have started a film laboratory, Wayuu Lab, with which they hope to provide the opportunity and financing to young people in the community to make a short film.
“Technology is a powerful ally to strengthen the protagonism of women and overthrow historical inequalities that have prevented them from achieving goals,” concludes Paula Bárcenas. And these Colombian entrepreneurs have demonstrated how the use of technology can positively impact their lives, industries, and the development of their communities.