To celebrate 18 years is to come of age. It’s a milestone of enormous significance, especially when it comes to a trajectory marked by transformation and positive social impact – a path that is often more tortuous than those of more conventional businesses. Since the birth of Raízes in 2006, we have understood that promoting transformation based on valuing the roots and culture of each locality would be the key to success for our purpose.
Entrepreneurship is one of the strategies we can use to value these roots. Far beyond simple economic activities, businesses that value socio-biodiversity can be a powerful vector for social and territorial transformation, guided by the emotions of those who live in and visit the territories.
We believe that an opportunity and a different way of looking at a problem can change people – and it is people who change places. It is this belief that has guided our mission to transform realities through projects that integrate tourism, entrepreneurship, and local development.
Social impact and achievements over the years
Over these 18 years, we have carried out more than 80 projects and supported more than 200 businesses, directly impacting more than 220,000 people.
We recently looked into measuring the impact of our projects and carried out a census of the businesses supported by Raízes. We discovered that almost half (46%) operate in the tourism sector, followed by craft businesses (18%), gastronomy (12%) and agroecology (11%). The majority of these businesses are micro-enterprises, individual, family or community businesses, with 95% of them falling into these categories. One fact that fills us with pride is that 62% of these businesses are led by women, reinforcing our commitment to gender equality.
We invested more than 1 million reais in seed capital, 47% of which went to investments of up to 10,000 reais. This shows that entrepreneurs do a lot with little, transforming each resource into a significant impact. In addition, 73% of the entrepreneurs attend more than 75% of the training sessions, demonstrating the great commitment and thirst for knowledge that drives each one of them.
Our projects seek to promote progress in all business dimensions, but the main achievements are in Structure and Governance, Products and Services, and Local Development. Many of these supported businesses are on our showcase, and it is part of our long-term commitment to promote communications that generate visibility for them.
Pioneering and the future
We have already been recognized by several national and international awards; and one of the ones we are most proud of is being one of the first Brazilian companies to join Sistema B/ B Lab, back in 2014. Since then, we have always renewed our certification, because we embrace the idea that using our business to build a more inclusive, equitable, and regenerative economic system is the key to the development of people and the planet.
Raízes positions itself as a catalyst for change, connecting the needs and desires of communities with real opportunities for sustainable development, and that is exactly what we will continue to do. As we turn 18, we would like to thank everyone who has been part of this journey of transformation and impact. We will continue to walk this path with passion and purpose, believing that sustainable development has the power to change the world.
Here’s to the coming years, with more challenges, partnerships, and, above all, more transformation!
