How four Latin American startups are turning food surplus into systems of hope
Every year, millions of edible crops go to waste in Latin America. Four women entrepreneurs are changing this reality—using circular economies to transform surplus into valuable products that regenerate agriculture, strengthen local economies, and uplift communities with dignity and hope.
- MacKenzie King Impact Hub Network
Each year, millions of tonnes of edible food are wasted across the region, even as hunger rises and rural economies struggle to stay afloat.
In Latin America, the land is vast and generous. Markets across the continent are filled with fruits and vegetables that are as diverse as they are delicious. But beyond these markets, another reality persists. Crops that do not find their way into traditional supply chains often go wasted, with fields overflowing with surplus, and communities—often Indigenous, often women—excluded from the prosperity they help create.
It’s a systemic problem: rural producers are underpaid and undervalued, while consumer markets prize only “perfectly presented” produce while discarding the rest.
Despite this, a quiet revolution is growing at the intersection of waste and worth. Women who have lived closest to the problem—who know the sting of exclusion, the weight of scarcity, and the power of resourcefulness—are creating new models of food equity. They are proving that when women lead innovation, communities don’t just survive; they regenerate with dignity, resilience, and hope.
Here are four powerful stories of what’s possible when impact-driven startups treat waste not as an endpoint, but as a beginning.
Sunspectra | Costa Rica
Transforming papaya into sustainable skincare products
agricultural waste reused
extra income for local agriculture producers
CO2 emissions prevented
What does a papaya look like?
To most of us, it’s the amber-hued, symmetrical, blemish-free fruit that lines supermarket shelves. Oftentimes, produce that are bruised, misshapen, or oddly sized disappear before we ever see them, deemed unworthy of sale or consumption.
But to Mariola Urgellés, a papaya looks like potential. Each “imperfect” fruit is a bridge between farmers who cultivate them and a planet in need of protection. Out of that vision, Sunspectra was born.
Urgellés, a Costa Rican entrepreneur with a background in chemical engineering launched Sunspectra with a simple idea: to transform rejected papayas into high-performance, reef-safe sunscreens and skincare.
I wanted to create something different... products that were effective, safe, and consciously formulated.
In a market crowded with greenwashed buzzwords, Urgellés is conscious and meticulous about the real impact of her work. She works directly with small-scale farmers, offering them new income streams from papayas that would otherwise rot in fields or landfills. She partners with researchers at Costa Rica’s Center for Research in Natural Products (CIPRONA), developing formulas that are both scientifically rigorous and ecologically kind. Every Sunspectra product is free from reef-bleaching chemicals like oxybenzone and octinoxate, common ingredients in most commercial sunscreens.
Today, Sunspectra’s annual revenue has surpassed $100,000, with products stocked in over 70 stores across Costa Rica.
Even the packaging is part of the story: compostable tubes, refillable bottles, no wasteful frills. The company also reinvests a portion of profits into coral restoration initiatives, working alongside local marine conservation groups to replant and rehabilitate fragile reef ecosystems.
For Urgellés, growing her business is also an opportunity to educate more consumers about sustainable consumption.
Our biggest opportunity lies in helping people understand the difference between clever marketing and true sustainability. The challenge is keeping pace with growth while maintaining integrity, especially in a competitive and often greenwashed market.
Terra Verde | Honduras
Food, dignity, and the power of agricultural regeneration
food waste saved
women employed
small food producers supported
Years ago, Maria Molina stood in the highlands of Intibucá, Honduras, watching Indigenous women tend their plots of land. She remembers how the hardworking women worked with strength and steadfastness, yet their work often remained invisible to the wider economy.
Despite their resilience, many women in agriculture are excluded from opportunities, their work undervalued, their voices unheard.
That memory stayed with her. And in time, it became the seed for Terra Verde, a women-led social enterprise turning agricultural surplus into nutrient-rich food products that nourish both body and community.
What began as a modest effort to freeze leftover fruit into pulp has since grown into a vibrant agro-industrial initiative. Today, Terra Verde produces freeze-dried fruits and vegetables, crunchy tortillas, taco chips, and other colorful snacks rooted in the flavors of Honduran culinary culture. But food is only part of the story.
At its core, Terra Verde is about reclaiming dignity. Most of its workforce comes from vulnerable communities—women long sidelined by traditional economies. Here, they are trained, supported, and central to every part of production. Their work is no longer hidden; it’s celebrated.
When women are at the heart of the process, the transformation goes far beyond economics.
“In five years, we hope to become a benchmark for the circular economy in Central America,” Molina says. That vision includes scaling up production, expanding into eco-innovative product lines—such as enzymatic cleaners and biomaterials made from organic waste—and extending Terra Verde’s training programmes to reach more women in more regions.”
It’s an ambitious path. But Terra Verde’s strength lies in the details: the way each tortilla or chip carries with it the flavor of tradition, the ethos of regeneration, and the labor of hands once overlooked.
For Molina, it’s not just business. “This is my way of returning hope to my homeland,” she says.
EatCloud | Colombia
Using AI to connect surplus food to those in need
kg of unsold food redistributed
meals provided
savings to the industry
In Bogotá, Isis Elena often passed supermarket shelves stacked high with food, only to see that same food discarded by the end of the week. At the same time, she knew families nearby who struggled to put even a single meal on the table. It never made sense to her — how could there be such excess and such hunger, side by side?
That question stayed with Isis. And it became the spark for EatCloud, a data-driven social enterprise that uses technology to reroute unsold food to those who need it most.
Today, EatCloud connects corporations, retailers, and local organisations across South America, transforming what once was waste into nourishment and dignity.
The platform’s AI identifies food at risk of being wasted and matches it with communities that can use it, factoring in location, storage capacity, consumption needs, and logistics. Unlike traditional systems that rely on central food banks, EatCloud decentralises access: small social organisations receive food directly from producers, distributors, and points of sale.
In essence, each algorithm and match, means fewer families going to bed hungry. Each redistribution means a mother, once anxious about tomorrow’s meal, now has food to serve her family.
Technology is our tool. But what we’re really building is fairness.
Already, EatCloud’s model has redistributed the largest volume of surplus food worldwide, and it continues to grow, meal by meal, connection by connection.
Gaia Alimentos | Mexico
Reviving ancestral food heritage in Mexico
grams of vegetables added back into Mexican diets
families reached — and counting
For Mónica Rodríguez, food has always carried the weight of memory and kinship. In Monterrey, she grew up in a culture where a warm tortilla meant more than nourishment. It was family gathered around the table, tradition passed from one hand to another, and cultural identity woven into everyday life.
But as ultra-processed foods spread across Mexico, she watched those connections weaken. Health suffered, heritage slipped into the background, and the vibrant flavors of ancestral ingredients risked being forgotten.
I wanted to find a way back. A way to keep our traditions alive while also caring for our health.
That vision gave rise to Gaia Alimentos, a food innovation company reimagining everyday staples with the wisdom of the past and the science of today. Its flagship creation, Tortillas Verdes, is a simple yet powerful idea: heirloom corn blended with spinach, cilantro, and other local vegetables. Nutritious, colorful, and deeply rooted in Mexican culinary culture, they reconnect families with their heritage while bringing essential nutrients back to the table.
For Gaia Alimentos, tortilla is a small act of renewal. A way to honor tradition while building healthier futures. With every bite, Gaia Alimentos helps communities rediscover the richness of their roots and the strength that comes from nourishing both body and culture.
So far, Gaia Alimentos has reached over 1,000 families, each one a step toward greater food equity and public health. Looking ahead, Rodríguez envisions expanding this movement, creating new products, supporting local farmers, and inspiring communities across the region to choose health without leaving heritage behind.
Women-led innovation as the catalyst
Sunspectra, Terra Verde, EatCloud, and Gaia Alimentos are among the 15 recipients of the Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award 2025, in partnership with the Impact Hub Network.
Supporting these ventures is about more than backing good business ideas. It’s about recognising the power of women-led innovation to solve problems in ways others can’t. Women bring lived experience, community perspective, and a commitment to equity that reshapes entire systems.
Since its launch in 2021, the programme has recognised 55 women-led ventures transforming health, food security, and livelihoods worldwide, proof that when women lead, change ripples far beyond the immediate solution.
Learn more about the Bayer Foundation Women Entrepreneurs Award and the 15 exceptional awardees of 2025.
Unleash your impact potential today
Join our free global membership for the latest news, resources, and inspiring stories of entrepreneurial impact. Sign up now and ignite your journey towards making a difference.
You also might like
5 inspiring initiatives committed to inclusivity in our Network
5 inspiring initiatives committed to inclusivity in our Network
Closing the coordination gap: A guide to systems change through ecosystem building
Closing the coordination gap: A guide to systems change through ecosystem building
