General Information- Maritza DeQuia
Business Idea: With the collaboration of Global
Business Brigades, the owners would like to continue
their business of cultivating and selling organic avocados and
plantains,
Communtiy Name: Puerto Lara
Community Members Involved: Maritza DeQuia and her
husband
Business Description
Ms. Dequia is a 50 years old resident of Puerto Lara who has been growing avocados for the last 10 years with the help of her husband and her 19-year-old son, who is applying to study law, and her 10-year-old son that studies at the local school. Her main motivation is to be able to provide an education to her younger sons.
Current Status:
Business Information:
• They currently have 10 avocado trees and and 100 plantain plants on their organic farm.
• Each Avocado tree can produce around 100 avocados, which are typically sold to people from outside the
community that buy in bulk from different small independent farmers. The selling price is $0.25 per unit
when sold in the community, but in the nearest town called Santa Fe they can be sold for $1 per avocado.
• Miss Maritza also helps herself during non-harvest seasons by selling hand-crafts in the streets of Santa
Fe (a larger town about 45 minutes away from Puerto Lara).
• The harvesting season is from March to May, and at the moment she has around 200 avocados worth
from $0.20 to $0.50 depending on their quality and size. During this season, she brings around 50
avocados to sell at the Santa Fe’s vegetables market.
Business Opportunity:
• There is a large market for avocados in the city.
• Ms. DeQuia has been a member of the community bank since it was started in Puerto Lara, where she
has her own savings account.
• This is a family business, where tasks can be delegated to different family members.
• She wants to take out loans to expand her business, but but she fears not knowing how to manage credit
properly.
Business Obstacles:
• Ms. DeQuia can't read or write.
• Lack of financial literacy to manage her sales and accounts.
• The family does not have any financial records; everything is tracked mentally.
• She suffers from diabetes, and although she can’t physically be in the farm planting or harvesting, she is
in charge of sales while her husband and son work intensely in the fields.
• Climate is a factor that affects her crop, and during the summer season the avocados can get burnt by
the sun, negatively impacting her sales.
Your Task
• In order to request loans from the community bank, Ms. DeQuia will need to receive loan capacity
payment trainings and calculations.
• She has asked for more financial education and trainings on topics such as management and accounting
skills.
• Based on your recommendations, update/supplement this business profile.
Brigade Log
| Business Brigades Chapter |
Date | Volunteers |
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Visit Other Programs in Puerto Lara
Global Brigades strives to implement a model of Holistic Development in communities through a system of health, economic, and education initiatives in order to strategically meet a community's development goals. Learn more about the other programs being implemented in Puerto Lara:
Dental 
Environmental 
Human Rights 
Medical 
Microfinance
Public Health