No more plastic: corn bags to take care of the environment

In two018, Camilo Estrada saw that in Europe they were producing bags from the PLA (lactic polya acid mainly extracted from corn starch), and wanted to bring the initiative to the Colombian market.He associated with his brother and immediately contacted the producers of this material to send samples, and apply it to their business idea.This was how the entrepreneurship that today is preserving the environment began to materialize today.

En two3 preguntas para emprendedores y sus emprendimientos los hermanos Estrada nos cuentan cómo nació esta nueva alternativa de empaque compostable y vegetal producto del maíz colombiano, y cómo han logrado concientizar a las personas del uso responsable de estas bolsas.

1.How old am I? That I studied?

We are two brothers.Camilo Estrada, international negotiator (36 years) and Sebastián Estrada, business administrator (38 years old).

two.What was my idea and when was born?What did I think?

My idea was to create compostable bags from a biopolymer of plant origin that is extracted from corn. La marca se empezó a pensar en two018 pero salió al mercado en two019.

3.How did I come true and take it to the facts?

We take advantage of experience, knowledge and infrastructure of our family business that has been preparing flexible packaging (bags), and with the support of brand communicators (work that took months) we managed to make it reality.

4.Where did I take the money to put it to walk and how did I pay it?

We have all the support of our family business and its excellent credit history with banks and suppliers to materialize it.

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5.What am I achieving with my entrepreneurship?What am I changing with my idea?

We are giving a flexible packaging alternative (bags) with a much lower environmental impact than plastic or paper.The customization of these bags has allowed us to reach small ventures and large companies that seek to pack their products in a completely different, new and vegetable way.

6.I'm happy?

Not only are we happy, but we are too proud and grateful to our work team, customers and suppliers.

7.Would my entrepreneurship sell my company?

We are always open to the new and good proposals.

8.How hard was it for me to undertake?

It was difficult to negotiate samples and tests with the supplier in Europe, and even more complex that they believed in a more expensive product than traditional plastic bags.

9.Did I fulfill my dream?What I'm I missing of?

The dream is fulfilled day by day.We need to grow a lot and get mahíz bags to be the leading product in the flexible packaging market.

Puede interesarle este emprendimiento: Ella logró hacer empresa con lo que era basura para otros

10.And now that? Whats Next?

We want to export, generate our own ecommerce and cover the market more globally.

eleven.Is my venture scalable?

Yes it is.One of our goals is to seek the internationalization of the brand and the product.

1two.To grow, would you receive investment from a stranger?Would you give it part of my company?

We wouldn't do it.It is something that by government and family code, we have no contemplated.

13.What would you not do again?

Believe in gigantic projects that promise a lot but have no basis or argument to achieve them.

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14.Who inspired me?Who would I like to follow?

The use of these raw materials in European and Asian countries.The greatest entrepreneurship of this type is from Indonesia.They are called advance

fifteen.Did I fail at any time?I thought about throwing in the towel?

At the time of offering the product to traditional customers of the company, we received a negative due to the price because it is much higher than the traditional plastic, there we thought it was going to be the end of the idea.

16.Do I be part of some kind of community that helps me in this path of undertaking?

Our family, acquaintances, followers and customers support us.They became our community.

17.What am I doing it?Can you impact new generations?

Surely it will be so because reducing the environmental impact is designed for a future and for new generations, this in order to extend what we can most from our planet, the same that is already damaged with the failed human behavior.

Conozca esta historia: Felica letras, el emprendimiento que le hace una oda a la poesía

18.How do I see myself in 10 years and how do I see my entrepreneurship, my company?

Being a worldwide reference and generating more and more vegetation packaging with much more differentiation and technology.

19.What role have my family and friends played?

They have played a huge role.The company is familiar and they have been the pillar of this idea.Our friends have contributed in a real way to ‘Mahíz’, they have worked with us and even today they continue to do it.They believe a lot in us.

two0.I did it.Would you help other entrepreneurs to achieve it?

We would certainly help who wish.In fact, sharing our experiences is what we enjoy most in this path.

two1.What role did my team play?Who?

Fundamental, giant, titanic, and indescribable role.We are 70 people among operations, administrative, commercial and management.Each person plays a key role in Mahíz. La idea fue de two personas pero sin todos ellos habría sido imposible materializarla.

twotwo.What is my personal seal?What differentiates me from the rest?

Our brand and logo (cob) make a difference and communicate instantaneously about something that snow for society.It is also a great differential that our bag, by ethics and promise of sale has no traces of any polyethylene, or heavy metals, which makes it totally composable.Can be earth again.

Siga esta historia: Natural, saludable y artesanal: la receta del éxito en este emprendimiento

two3.What have I learned from all this?

That it is possible to use the resources we have at hand and give a total turn to the traditional without leaving it aside.That we are able to take advantage of what we have and know how to create something completely new, attractive and differentiator.

Si conoce historias de emprendedores y sus emprendimientos, escríbanos al correo ebohorquez@elespectador.com o tgomez@elespectador.com

Puede leer también: Emprender después de sobrevivir a la trata de personas