Innovation

Tambos Pesqueros is not only an exciting project for the fishing industry but also for the development of the Peruvian community and development, as it has been a pioneer in social initiatives. This project consists of providing communities in the Andean regions of Peru with fresh and high-nutrition food, for example, blue fish, like “bonito,” “cabala,” and “jurel,” for it to be successful, they select women within the communities to manage the stores, to ensure high quality and organization they provide them with business tools and health formation, specifically around anemia. This initiative addresses a health issue affecting thousands of people with anemia and malnutrition. Due to the lack of high-protein foods being provided to these regions and the low interest of big companies in shipping their products here because of the logistical and geographical difficulties, many kids, young adults, adults, and older people suffer from a lack of healthy food. Tambos Pesqueros’ work adapts a simple cold chain system into a high-complexity problem.

The logistics process starts in their 22 fishing boats, where they look for species like the ones mentioned before and Anchoveta. Then, in Callao, Lima, Peru, where three production warehouses are located, they process and revise the products to distribute. These are sent out in temperature-controlled trucks with a final destination to the ministries of Ayacucho and Huanuco. Here, the ministries store the products in industrial freezers that can keep the fish in good condition. The last step is in the hands of the selected women who buy/sell the fish at a social price and administer the process in these remote locations. These women are in charge of the stores and distribution, which consist of a trust-based delivery system within the community. Additionally, clients pick up the fish from the ministries and deliver it directly to people and nearby schools.

Inspiration

This project started when the Ribaudo family traveled to the country's interior; they were deeply concerned when they saw children with obvious signs of anemia and the issues with the local fish markets, such as the lack of hygiene or sanitary practices. These observations triggered the project that is now known as Tambos Pesqueros. According to Paola, “If you visit any of these Tambos Pesqueros, you'll see that the women who run them wear gloves masks and follow specific fish handling processes. They know the proper temperatures to prevent spoilage.” They realized they could duplicate the already established model to provide access to clean and nutritious fish. These practices were beneficial during the pandemic because it wasn't a big adjustment for them to adapt to safety protocols as it was already installed in the DNA of the process. The company wanted to share with all the communities, regardless of their income, the level of quality they considered a standard. During the interview, Paola stated, “It's not a luxury; it's a standard that we, as a company, want to leave as our legacy.” Showing the values of Pesquera Diamante.

Overall impact

As mentioned before, this project not only has a social impact but also has impacted this business sector. The impact on the community has two different perspectives. The first perspective comes from the promoters themselves; Tambos Pesqueros has had about 50 women entrepreneurs overcome their barriers, surpassing their expectations for personal development.

Initially, these women only saw themselves as homemakers who relied heavily on their husbands' economic power. Through the empowerment program for women and the Tambos Pesqueros diamante project, they can start their businesses and learn the administrative skills necessary for running a business. They've also received community empowerment and leadership training, which we provide as part of their education every year. Now, they are experts, and many people seek them out for information about fish and nutrition. Some used their income to study technical careers or complete their education, which they had yet to meet. As Paola mentioned, “This project has been a catalyst for women entrepreneurs to develop their full potential. I can't say they've reached their full potential, but they are certainly on the path to excellence.” giving us hope and showing the plan to keep this project going on for more years. Another positive impact this project had was that it allowed these women to become community representatives by municipalities and associations because of their new knowledge as micro-entrepreneurs and agents of change in their communities—an invaluable result for the company.

These women were also the first to encourage their children to eat fish. Here comes the second perspective of impact, the statistics. During the first part of the project, Tambos Pesqueros, after doing a first screening test, detected in some schools that 80% of the students in a class had anemia. After six months, when they applied for the program, they did a second screening test, which showed that 90% of the anemia students no longer had it. Additionally, to this date, over 700 cases of children have overcome anemia directly due to the Tambos Pesqueros Diamante project. In the interview, Paola mentioned that they “expect to surpass a thousand children by 2024 as part of this project dedicated to combating anemia”.

Business benefit

As for the business impact, Pesquera Diamante gains a stable fish distribution in these areas and provides fish to these communities 365 days a year, seven days a week, at the same price. Having a stable price allows for clearer projections for the business. Creating a win-win situation. They of course have a margin, it is not a huge profit for the company as Paola explained, but it is not negative; as it covers the costs and maintains a positive dynamic for the company. Paola commented “obviously there are other businesses with much higher profits but they don't have the impact this one does.”

Fortunately, Tambos Pesqueros has reached a sustainable point and is projected for positive impacts as said by the company “It's sustainable because it's not philanthropy; it's part of our core business, selling fish.” For the future, they do not plan on expansion as the Peruvian government grants each company a fishing quota, and currently, they have optimized their fishing operations to the fullest and maximized what they can produce within limitations.

Even though they cannot expand, they encourage other entities to do it. Paola mentions, “We believe that the Peruvian government should take the lead because we are filling a gap and addressing a need that the state has. We are open to it, and you know why? Because as Tambos and as Diamante, we can only reach a certain capacity regarding stock and production.” Taking this opportunity as a call to action to other Peruvian entities in the fishing industry and the government, helping others as a business can still be sustainable economically and has impressive impacts socially, as proved by Tambos Pesqueros.

Social and environmental benefit

This project is beneficial for society because it is fighting against the high rates of anemia in Peru. By providing nutritious and sufficient fish all year round to the high Andean areas where people are in a vulnerable situation, Tambos Pesqueros is helping the communities to improve the health of the communities. Also, they are preventing the deaths of newborns and children because of malnutrition and anemia. This initiative follows goal number 2 of the SDGs, called “Zero hunger,” and goal number 3, called “good health and well-being.”

Another impact this project has is on the women of the communities. This initiative empowers women to be leaders, fight against a problem affecting their children, and teach others about nutrition. It also creates full, productive, and decent jobs for the women in the communities, promoting these locations' economies. These actions achieve goal number 5, “gender equality,” and SDGs goal 8, called “Decent work and economic growth.” Pesquera Diamante and its project, Tambos Pesqueros, have had a massive impact and success in Peru; we hope this story inspires you.

Interview

Paola Ramírez, Head of Sustainability and Corporate Communication