Innovation

The innovative solution here is educating consumers on how to eat healthily, change their eating habits, and have a health-conscious lifestyle, with the support of family, in preparing these meals.

The company aims to bring natural products to the average consumers and change the landscape of the farm to the food sector.

The idea was born when there was a massive wastage of fruit in different states, resulting in a significant financial loss to agricultural producers.

The innovation originated from the Secretaría de Fomento Agropecuario (SEFOA)'s social initiative in which the organization gave away solar dehydrators. The founder, Professor Ernesto Bonilla began training himself on using this dehydrator equipment to dehydrate fruit to eat with his family. He expanded the range of fruits after learning and practicing this method further. He realized that he could monetize this as a business opportunity and started packaging these to be sold in retail stores in his community. He bought the raw material in bulk at the supply center and improved his approach to dehydrating fruit more efficiently. This led to the discovery of different nutritional properties of dehydrated food with better equipment performance.

In addition, the process has the advantage of not generating waste and using solar energy for excess production, minimizing food waste and conserving its natural properties.

Inspiration

The innovation was born from the need to look for alternatives to take advantage of the seasonality in harvesting specific fruits and offer healthy options to avoid consuming junk food.

This concept was publicized in the Secretaría de Fomento Agropecuario (SEFOA) program, a government-sponsored entity supporting environment-friendly initiatives and providing resources such as solar dehydrator equipment.

In organizations and schools, junk food is consumed widely, and the general public is concerned about how this type of food impacts our health and well-being.

Professor Bonilla stated that he wants to offer the population food that is not processed and produced without being contaminated with pesticides and chemicals that could negatively impact our overall well-being.

Overall impact

The immediate impact of the innovation is that the products offered are produced naturally, without preservatives. There is also the personal impact, with the creation of jobs and satisfaction attained by marketing the products and the benefits of consuming dried fruit.

Also, the innovation is sustainable since the fruit only loses natural water, preserving its nutrients, color, and flavor.

The short-term effects range from buying and handling seasonal fruit since all fruits must be cleaned thoroughly to ensure the final product is free of impurities and microorganisms.

The innovation originated as an initiative to address child malnutrition. Later, it became a profitable business venture by expanding the range of products offered since only one type of fruit was initially used. Various kinds of fruit are now utilized, and the final products are distributed in retail. With the family members of the employees involved in the dehydration process, in the long run, this innovation is expected to be a full-time business and an additional income stream for the family.

Generating a nutrition-focused product category that complies with official standards is also being considered for distribution to commercial chains or larger stores.

Business benefit

The main benefit of this innovation is that natural foods are non-perishable and nutrient-rich, offering numerous health benefits to consumers. These foods can also reach geographies and areas where food is difficult to obtain due to environmental restrictions, remoteness, or lack of resources to preserve freshness. Therefore, since caring for the environment is paramount, solar-enabled technology is utilized for food production.

Social and environmental benefit

The founder, Professor Ernesto Bonilla stated that this innovation offers social and environmental benefits that can be applied on a large scale.

Concerning the environmental benefits, the production process utilizes solar-enabled technology, a clean energy resource. Professor Bonilla did mention that a government-sponsored entity donated this technology. He further stated that the production outcome of this technology depends directly on the weather since it is solar; on cloudy days, production takes longer. Or the final product could have quality problems. Currently, sunlight is accessible at all times due to the weather and thus helps to avoid contamination with other types of energy.

The primary social benefit is the mitigation or elimination of food wastage. In some geographies of the country, food is thrown away on the roads, and in some regions, there is limited accessibility to all kinds of fruit because it is not so easy to harvest based on soil conditions. The other benefit is the reduced consumption of junk food among adults and children. Consumption of junk food is one of the leading causes of obesity. Another factor is the cost involved since Professor Bonilla said that other institutions offer the same products at higher prices. The final social impact is the generation of nutrient-rich food since the product only loses water during dehydration, but the nutrients are preserved. Therefore it is easier to maintain a healthy diet with foods that can be consumed at any time.

Interviews

Andres Bonilla Torres, Owner

Andres Bonilla Torres, Owner