Somos Llaves spoke with some of these entrepreneurs who said that thanks to the constant training courses offered by the CCB and the visibility spaces, such as +Talante, they have been able to take their businesses to the next level. These are their stories.

Natural jams that help improve health

The transformation of vegetables and fruits into healthy jams is the specialty of Alimentar MyC, a business idea that emerged in 2021 at the hands of Martha Ortiz and her husband. Both showed the products at +Talante.

Martha says: "Our jams are gelled with chia seeds and natural pectins. Our products are one hundred percent natural. It is so natural that it lasts a short time, once uncovered it lasts a month in the refrigerator, that is the difference with an industrialized product".

They have soursop, lulo, peach, guava, red fruits (strawberry, blackberry and blueberry), and yellow fruits (uchuva, mango and passion fruit) jams. They also have a line of healthy jelly, a mixture of plum with pitaya, flaxseed and chia that "helps the digestive system and provides functionality to the body," explains Martha. They also have a jelly made with cashew and papayuela to strengthen the respiratory system, "If taken frequently it helps with the common cold and cough," she adds.

To strengthen her business, Martha says she has taken advantage of the many courses offered by the CCB. "We are part of the Food Cluster, we have been in fairs and in Bazzarbog. The CCB encourages us to learn a lot because suddenly one is in a comfort zone, but there is a world of possibilities to learn and explore," says Martha and notes: "You have to unlearn to learn, for example, the digital part and social networks one handles them in the old way, but there are a lot of options to get more views and I like it."

Bases for plants in coconut fibers, Yulieth's company

Instead of traditional pots, Yulieth Rojas uses coconut fiber to support plants with her company Kokeinnova. "It's a product that helps with the environment because they are organic products. The plants, including the base, are watered by immersion and can last up to two years," Rojas explains.

In his stand he had a great variety of decorative plants for both indoors and outdoors, as well as bonsais in stone or trunks. In addition to the physical point of sale in Chinauta (Cundinamarca), she uses social networks and participates in different events and fairs. To achieve visibility in these last spaces, the support she has received from the Chamber of Commerce of Bogota has been vital. "This is already my third fair with them," Yulieth points out, adding that she has also received training in formalization and accounting.

Her business started in 2020 as a hobby, but today it has been consolidated as her company. "I took the idea of a Japanese technique, at first I made the bases with moss, but due to environmental issues I opted for coconut fiber," she stresses and adds that she currently has more than 50 species of plants in which this technique can be used.

Diana makes new garments with recycled fabric

Diana Marcela Benavides, of the company R3co ropa responsable, uses every scrap of fabric to make new products. Her company makes clothing such as jackets, shirts, busos and items such as pencil cases, cosmetic bags, kangaroos, book and computer protectors.

"We manufacture them with fabrics that come from surplus and textile waste. Our products are also designed with pet bottles and recovered cotton. We give all the circularity to the textile part because, first, we prevent textile waste from going to the garbage by giving them a second chance and, second, because we make garments with materials that have been recycled," says Diana Marcela. This company was founded in 2022 and currently employs two people directly, but they work hand in hand with several production units of vulnerable populations.

Several garment manufacturers contact them to collect the surplus from their work. They also work with companies that give them the clothing that they give to the workers and that are no longer in use so that they can be transformed into new products.

"Since the beginning we have received several trainings from the CCB on topics such as finance and marketing. We are also enrolled in Bazzarbog and in the 'Red Moda Circular', which is a program on textile circularity that the CCB runs in partnership with the SENA," Diana said.

During +Talante, in addition to consolidating sales, she sought to give testimony of her work to raise awareness among buyers. "It is not necessary to buy new items, you can also buy something made from reused material that works very well and lasts a long time," she concludes.

The beekeepers of Tominé

Juan Pablo Beltrán is a member of the Tominé Beekeeping Association, which brings together a group of 12 farmers who were trained in beekeeping and installed beehives throughout the area of influence of the Tominé reservoir (Guasca, Guatavita and Sesquilé). The CCB went there to train them and help them in their formalization process.

"Now they all produce honey-based products and sell them in their municipalities. Some have done so well that it is now their only source of income," says Juan Pablo.

Among the products that Juan Pablo makes, and which he exhibited at +Talante, are honey, propolis, royal jelly, chocolates sweetened with honey, lip balms and even the breeding of queen bees.

This is the first time he has participated in a fair of this magnitude, although he is used to exhibiting his product in the farmers' markets organized by the CCB in Guasca, Sesquilé and Guatavita. "The CCB has encouraged us with training to form the organization and be able to maintain it. They are very attentive to how we are doing and to our training," says Juan Pablo. "Each honey is different, each farm, each place gives a particularity to the honey; therefore, they are unique. The ones we produce are multifloral and in the pollen you can see the diversity of colors".

Mother and daughter work for the environment

Diana Losada and her daughter work together making colorful bags from reused plastic. Diana is in charge of handcrafting the bags designed by her daughter and they market them through the company Diana's Collection. This business idea materialized in 2017 with the aim of creating an eco-friendly enterprise that would contribute to the reduction of pollution generated by plastic. This is how they make products with this material that can be used in everyday life such as bags, baskets, cup holders, placemats, among other items.

"The CCB has helped us to make our products visible, thanks to them we have a greater participation in events and fairs, they give us the space and the necessary support", emphasizes Diana. In addition, she has also participated in sustainability courses.

Currently, this duo leverages social networks to publicize their product and do not hesitate to take advantage of their participation in spaces such as +Talante.

We invite you to learn more about the protagonists of the popular economy by reading our newspaper Somos llaves.