The Fruits of Social Enterprise

Ali Pitargue

One-third of the food produced in the world becomes landfill, amounting to 1.3 billion tonnes of waste each year.¹ In developing countries, most food waste occurs earlier in the supply chain, particularly in the agricultural and production stages. Crops can be vulnerable to spoilage due to a multitude of factors: inefficient farming technology, overproduction of crops, and the changing climate. For some farms in Colombia, wasted fruit and vegetables can amount up to 100 kilos per week.

One way to salvage portions of these products is by providing farms with adequate storage units, but this is often not affordable. BCIT Enactus group, Ra Solutions, wants to make adequate storage more attainable. Led by project manager Brendan Banks, they plan to sell solar dehydrators of their own design to farms in Colombia, Guatemala, and other countries from the Global South.²

Solar dehydrators store fruits and vegetables for long durations post-harvest. These dehydration units use energy from the sun to keep the food product dry for extended periods, which prevents fruits and vegetables from spoiling as they enter the market.

Ra Solutions’ venture is not poised for profit, but rather, it is a form of social enterprise—the use of business practices to generate positive outcomes for society and the environment. If Ra Solutions were more focused on revenues, then it would fall short in accomplishing its core mission: to reduce food waste by providing farmers with sustainable technology. Ra Solutions hopes that their dehydrators can not only to help farmers better preserve food products, but also flesh out their source of income.

“We had to remember who we were selling this to,” says Banks. “It’s not to make money. It’s to change someone’s life for the better. We want to reduce food waste, while also giving farmers a secondary revenue stream.” This prioritizes the overall benefit for these communities, taking into account its socioeconomic and environmental effects. They are not targeting a profitable market, but rather are facilitating the fruition of better livelihoods. Manufacturing these dehydrators could provide even more jobs in their target countries.

As the project manager of Ra Solutions, Banks leads a team of ten—three business students and seven engineers. They are guided by BCIT’s Enactus and MAKE+ teams. Enactus is a worldwide network for student entrepreneurs who engage projects that positively impact social, economic, and environmental issues. MAKE+ provides resources and supports the execution of student initiatives.

The concept behind Ra Solutions’ solar dehydrators came from their previous project manager, Kase Overes, who got the idea from one of his business peers. Banks then took over for Overes and helped refine the concept. Ra Solutions initially looked into countries like Grenada and India, but one of the team members, Emilio Angel, happened to have an aunt in Colombia who owned a farm. They established direct contact, and through her, the team was able to scout the market and obtain feedback from local farmers. To conduct further market research, Ra Solutions consulted government websites and non-profit organizations. They made connections with non-profits in Colombia who are willing to help coordinate the distribution of the dehydrators.

Banks notes that farmers in Colombia only make up to $2,700 CAD per year. Existing dehydration facilities are often out of the range of what farms can afford. “We find it’s very hard,” recalls Banks. “A lot of these developing countries that we’re targeting don’t have the same technology as we have.”

Ra Solutions had to consider what would be costeffective for their clientele. They had to take all these farmers’ needs into account. “It has to be affordable and also durable so it could last a long time,” cites Banks. “And also, be very simple, so then if anything goes wrong with it, we can fix it and ship them a new part.”

Banks intends to ensure these products not only function well in the long run, but also have a positive effect on the farmers’ livelihoods. He says, “It’s an opportunity to reduce food waste on a global scale and then also create a secondary revenue stream, so they can make a little bit more money to provide for their family and boost their own economy.”

Eco-friendly and sustainability mandates are becoming more and more of necessity for entrepreneurial ventures. According to Brendan Banks, it is crucial for entrepreneurs to be conscious of the environmental and social impact of their business practices. “I don’t think it’s as much as having a choice if we should [be ecoconscious]. You have to be, if we want to have a sustainable future.”