Innovation

Compañía Mexicana del Desierto is located in one of the poorest regions of the country, due to the strong life challenges the conditions of this place represent.

The company was founded in 1994 in Matehuala, San Luis Potosí, by Juan Carlos Salazar Viezca, a visionary entrepreneur who is highly knowledgeable in his field and socially and environmentally responsible.

Juan Carlos Salazar Viezca comments, "We have developed a successful business model from the use of ixtle as raw material, which comes from the agave of five states in Mexico: Coahuila, San Luis Potosí, Nuevo León, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas, and with this raw material we produce a wide range of sustainable products, 100% biodegradable, produced with great ecological awareness and care for the environment, for various industries." These include sacks for agricultural use, seat covers for the automotive industry, furniture fabrics, women's bags, hats and shoes, and filtration membranes for the mining industry.

"The business model of the company is totally a virtuous circle, which begins with the extraction of ixtle pruned from the agave without destroying or affecting the pineapple, thus allowing the plant to continue developing and can be used for other products such as the production of mezcal or honey, and in that way taking care of the landscape and the environment by leaving the plant standing."

The agave is a very abundant plant in Mexico, with a variety of 195 species in the country of the 200 that exist in the world, and it is little used.

"All the work in its various phases is carried out by native inhabitants of the region. The cutting work, which is the heaviest of the process, is carried out by mostly men; after it is brought to the process of transformation and when the yarns are obtained, the same company channels the yarns to independent workers and to production societies that are associated in partnership with the company. In those societies the final products are made, mainly by women and men supported in some cases by machines that the same company designs and supplies them for their work. The company distributes the products in different markets and final consumer industries. In this way the company not only makes sustainable products, but generates great opportunities for the farmers of the region, empowering them, giving them sources of employment in various processes and also generating business opportunities for the local inhabitants who are organized. In this way it generates a real opportunity for development and dignity for them."

Inspiration

"My partners and I found the opportunity to generate a business by taking advantage of the agave, a plant that is very abundant in the country and that is very little used, and saw the need to work hard in the education and training of people living in the desert region in which they are located to generate the opportunity to live with dignity from the fruits of their work."

Overall impact

"The products that the company manufactures are 100% biodegradable and can be applied to a great variety of uses, like industries--textiles, clothing, footwear, automotive and mining, for example; it also generates decent jobs for marginalized people."

"As a contribution to education in the region, the company with other entrepreneurs founded the University of Matehuala 20 years ago."

"We care and we focus on generating benefits to the entire production chain, depending on its participation in the various phases."

Business benefit

"We generate a great variety of products that can be sold to many industries that value that the product is 100% biodegradable and taking advantage of that the raw material is very economical."

"We are working together with tequila companies to develop new products from the waste generated by making tequila, and generate more product options for our clients and more jobs for our workers."

"To make products like ours available to different industries and people, which meet their consumption needs without contaminating and at the same time generate employment to very poor local inhabitants, in my opinion makes them develop much more social and environmental awareness to consumers."

"The business has ample possibilities of expansion since it can replicate the uses of ixtle threads in many industries. In fact, it can be used to replace the synthetic threads in almost all its uses; this is a process that requires research, and we are working on it."

"We are working on an agreement with institutions dedicated to scientific and technological research and development to generate more 100% biodegradable products and be able to impact on a larger scale the supply to various industries and consumers."

Social and environmental benefit

"We are training and coaching people in the area, giving them the opportunity to sell their own work as a specialty, allowing them to obtain better incomes and generate jobs in the community."

"In the process, we do not cut the agave plants because they only prune them, avoiding land erosion."

"The agave plant could be used for other processes."

"The products we manufacture are 100% biodegradable, and these products are so diverse that in the same way we manufacture shoes, clothes, bags, car seat covers, even for more complex industries like filters for mining. With the use of our products, companies and people have an option that allows them to meet their needs in a way that is friendly to society and the environment."

Interview

Lic. Juan Carlos Salazar Viezca, Director