Growing markets

Mariana attended training for Agente de Desenvolvimento de Agronegocios (ADA) in August 2018, which immediately unlocked her entrepreneurial spirit. The next week, she started supplying fresh produce to a local vocational center (VC) that holds multi-day classes where the participants stay at the center and have meals prepared for them.

The VC calls a few days prior to a new session to tell Mariana how much vegetables they need. Based on the amount and type of product, Mariana contacts the smallholder farmers she works with in a nearby village to start harvesting. She visits the VC to confirm the request in writing and prepares a purchase order. Mariana then collects the needed amount from her producers and delivers the vegetables along with the purchase order to the VC. At the end of month, Mariana combines the purchase orders for the month and issues the center an invoice, then provides them a receipt when she receives their payment check.

Everyone in the value chain benefits. The center obtains fresh quality produce at the same price they would have had to pay at the market without having to spend the time going there. With a record of purchase order, invoices, and receipts, they are better able to show documentation of their purchases during audits. The VC’s cook is happy because she gets to prepare meals with the freshest vegetables. Mariana’s smallholder farmers are pleased, because they can sell their produce directly from their farms to Mariana without having to worry about how to get it to market and if it will sell. And Mariana, the facilitator for all this, is earning a good profit which she intends to invest in growing her new business.