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Carlos Fernando Solórzano
VegyFrut
VegyFrut produces high quality, fresh-cut fruits and vegetables, locally sourced by majority women-run cooperates. The business provides technical assistance to local farmers for growing higher quality and new types of produce. VegyFrut then processes this extensive variety of fruits and vegetables for the food service industry, primarily in Managua.
To see VegyFrut's location in Nicaragua, please click here
Consulting Focus: The Agora consultants helped Carlos Fernando make decisions on important details in his business plan and worked with him to create financial projections for the first few years of VegyFrut. They examined his estimated costs and raw material inputs, and determined that the cash flow of the business would be acceptable. With this help from Agora, Carlos Fernando continued to move forward with the business and began making market contacts and establishing relationships with clients.
Vegyfrut S.A. began operations at the end of 2006 and now this small business is firmly positioned in the food service markets of both Panama and Nicaragua. Vegyfrut will soon open doors in Honduras, supplying its more than 60 products to prestigious clients, including hotels, restaurants and supermarkets.
"The impact of this business benefits these [20] families as well as more than forty-five producers and their families."
"Agora Partnerships helped us to identify our weak points before we entered the market and more importantly, turned those points into our strengths... Working with Agora allowed me to enter the market with the confidence to confront today’s extremely competitive environment in Nicaragua’s agro-processing industry. Agora put me in contact with key actors in the Nicaraguan business world, opening doors to potential suppliers and customers who would otherwise have been very difficult for me to meet on my own."
The initial Vegyfrut family was made up of three members. Now this family includes more than twenty members. The business benefits the families of these workers, as well as more than forty-five farmers and their families. Each and every one of these partners can now count on social benefits and a dynamic atmosphere for success.