stories of impact
Our borrowers are growing social enterprises that use market-based approaches to improve society and the environment
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ECOFILTRO
GUATEMALA Manufactures and sells ceramic water filters in Guatemala providing its users cost-efficient drinking water with improved health outcomes. It also impacts the environment positively as urban customers normally drinking bottled water reduce their plastic consumption, and rural customers who typically boil their drinking water over wood fires reduce their firewood use. With $225,000 from Beneficial Returns, the business is doubling the size of their factory and acquiring production equipment that will increase the consistency of their filters. EcoFiltro and its CEO were recognized in 2012 by the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship.
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ILLUMEXICO
MEXICO Designs, assembles, and sells solar home systems to remote Mexican communities with no access to the grid. These systems save money and save lives as families are protected from budgetary and health drawbacks of diesel or kerosene use. Ilumexico has sold thousands of units through microfinancing and government partnerships. Beneficial Returns provided a $50,000 loan for the acquisition of fifteen solar refrigerators which were leased to women-owned grocery stores to improve their livelihoods. Ilumexico is a graduate of Santa Clara University’s GSBI Accelerator Program.
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GUAYAKI
BRAZIL Sells yerba mate beverages which are distributed widely throughout the US in its goal of protecting 200,000 acres of South American rainforest and creating over 1,000 living-wage jobs before the year 2020. Yerba mate is a caffeinated plant native to the rainforests of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Guayaki’s suppliers sustainably harvest organic yerba mate from rainforest-grown cultivations and reforestation projects, generating a renewable income stream which enables these communities to improve their lives and restore their lands. Beneficial Returns’ $500,000 loan helped finance a yerba mate drying and processing facility in Brazil.
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SISTEMA BIO
MEXICO Designs, builds and sells patented, cost-saving biodigesters to small-scale farmers. These low-cost, modular biodigesters convert cow manure into energy and fertilizer while simultaneously protecting groundwater and improving soil health. Started in 2010, Sistema Bio has installed over 5,000 units in Mexico, Nicaragua, Colombia, Kenya, and India. Beneficial Returns refinanced four trucks that the company purchased with cash to enhance their working capital position.
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NAZAVA
INDONESIA Sells affordable and easy-to-use water filters in Indonesia where the majority do not have access to potable water and thus, resort to boiling water and purchasing bottled water. Through its filter, Nazava is able to provide the cheapest and most environmentally friendly clean water solution. To date, Nazava has provided over 130,000 filters and savings of over $14.5 million to households. Beneficial Returns provided Nazava a $50,000 loan to assist with the company’s expansion.
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ATEC
CAMBODIA ATEC designs and sells low-cost, patented biodigesters to small scale farmers in Cambodia. The business began operations in 2016 and has sold over 1,350 units as of end of 2019. Biodigesters use a biological process in which naturally occurring microorganisms break down organic waste to generate biogas and fertilizer. This provides significant impact by lowering expenses and improving crop yields of Cambodian households; the average family sees an increase in savings of $521 per year. Beneficial Returns provided ATEC* a $60,000 loan to help expand its new Pay As You Go (PAYGO) sales model.
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FUNDACION PARAGUAYA
PARAGUAY Enables people of limited resources to create jobs and increase their family income by promoting urban and rural entrepreneurship through: a microfinance program, an economic education program for young people, and a self-sufficient agricultural high school that teaches business skills to low income rural youth. Based and founded in Paraguay, it has aimed to replicate its model in other countries beginning with Tanzania. Beneficial Returns provided Fundacion Paraguaya a $150,000 loan to finance cheese-making equipment for one of its livelihood programs.
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WHOLE FOREST
ECUADOR Whole Forest is a social enterprise that is committed to job preservation and forest preservation in the Choco Rainforest of Ecuador. Whole Forest harvests balsa from small landowners and operates a factory that produces balsa laminates used widely in the wind turbine blade industry. The business is demonstrating that slash and burn practices can be replaced by sound forestry practices when there exist long-term private markets for sustainably harvested wood. Beneficial Returns provided Whole Forest a $150,000 loan to finance its entry into the hardwood business.
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ANANAS ANAM
PHILIPPINES Ananas Anam is the inventor of Piñatex, a leather alternative made from pineapple leaves that are normally discarded as agricultural waste. Ananas Anam aims to provide a more humane and sustainable option to leather while providing pineapple farmers - primarily in the Philippines - an additional source of income. With applications in clothing, automotive upholstery, and footwear, its customers include Hugo Boss, H&M, and Skoda. Beneficial Returns provided a $36,000 loan to finance new fiber extraction equipment.
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KIWA
ECUADOR Kiwa is a producer of vegetable chips made from crops grown by over 300 indigenous farmers in high-altitude regions of Ecuador and Peru. All Kiwa products are gluten-free, Kosher and non-GMO certified. It distributes in over 15 countries under the Kiwa brand and through private labels of major retailers, most notably Walmart. Its dual aim is to profitably grow its consumer-packaged goods business and to build an equitable supply chain that benefits indigenous crops and low-income farmers. Beneficial Returns provided a $100,000 loan to Kiwa to finance additional production equipment to support its growth.
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CHACHA
THAILAND Chacha is a producer of organic rice and chia-based pasta and retailer of the Perfect Earth Foods brand. Chacha sources from marginalized hilltribe communities in the Northwest of Thailand, near the Burma border. They train these communities on sustainable farming with the goal of at least doubling their income while respecting and preserving their unique way of life. Through their work, Chacha is able to restore community health as it provides stable income to families and staves off migration to cities out of economic necessity, and is simultaneously able to restore planet health as it replaces conventional farming with organic practices.
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