Adriana and Francisco started with a small orchard and now they have four hectares where, as well as raspberries, they grow loganberries. Their buyers are the large export companies, and they add to their income by selling the slightly spoiled fruit to small itinerant salespeople.
They were both convinced that their future lay in raspberry production, but to make their goal a reality they needed financial backup that would enable them to start their business and subsequently support it as it grew. That was when they approached Emprende Microfinanzas. Francisco overcame his initial misgivings about contracting “that credit thing”, buoyed up by Adriana’s certainty, because it was clear to her that “without loans you can’t grow much in business”. Their first loan was for USD 150 (EUR 141); now, thanks to the five loans the institution has given them they have been able to lease more plots for their crops and buy a second-hand van to deliver the product to their customers.
Adriana appreciates being able to work as a family and, in particular, it makes her happy to see how their effort has paid off; she is grateful for having had the opportunity to start with the support of a bank which believed that they and their raspberries could be successful, on both a personal and a professional level.
