Cynthia is senior in business administration at a university in the remote city of Juliaca in the Puno region of Peru. She is not the average student. On January 31, with only 20 years she decided to open her own business, a fruit juice store called DeliFru.
Last year Cynthia participated in new program called LiderAcción, an innovative course in leadership and entrepreneurship designed and conducted by CIPE and Instituto Invertir. Cynthia won one of the 15 scholarships awarded to a selective group of students from the Puno region and joined 200 other students from all over Peru.
Starting her own business had crossed Cynthia’s mind before. It wasn’t until she participated in LiderAcción that she decided to take her ideas a step further. After reading an article about juice stores, she identified a great opportunity for such a business in Juliaca. Apart from street vendors, there are no juice stores there. Cynthia developed her idea and made it a reality.
DeliFru operates in the first floor of her house. Thanks to a US$350 loan from the NGO Caritas, she was able to equip her business with all she needed in order to make it work.
“Since I read an article about juice stores, I was interested in this particular business. I wanted to have my own business and I realized that in Juliaca there is not one single Juice Store with a nice place that offers a large variety of juices in a hygienic environment. Apart from that, the natural culture and a light life style are growing faster and faster in Puno. Young people are now worried about calories and eating healthy, so I saw an opportunity and thanks to what I learned and lived in LiderAcción, I took it.”
Cynthia’s juice store is located a few blocks from the University of Juliaca. DeliFru offers more than 30 juice combinations, as well as other products such as cakes, yogurts, ice cream and other snacks.
“The next step is to invest in marketing and advertising so people can know about my business. My idea is to start serving sandwiches, hire more people, and even start a delivery service once the business starts to grow. My goal is to have at least 5 Juice Stores in Puno”.
For a long time Cynthia prepared juices for her grandfather, who is diabetic. That is how she learned about fruit’s nutritional information (which ones have more fructose, which ones have less, which ones are better for your digestive system, etc.). However, her experience in LiderAcción was what helped her identify the opportunity and helped her dream become a reality.
“If it wasn’t for LiderAcción I wouldn’t have taken the step to open my business. Not only did LiderAcción give me valuable tools to make my business plan, but it also taught me very useful things such as how to understand the clients, how to treat them, and how to make a good marketing campaign. The motivational aspects helped me the most in making my business come true. The training not only emphasized the importance of Positive Effect, but it highlighted constantly that It is possible and that it is only up to us to achieve our goals and follow our dreams. LiderAcción also inspired us with successful business stories of entrepreneurs that started with nothing and are now successful. On the other hand, my classmates told me all about the juice store business in their regions, and finally I decided to open DeliFru. Thanks a lot to LiderAcción and all the people and institutions that made this program possible”.
Cynthia is convinced that thanks to her juice store she will contribute with Juliaca’s inhabitants’ health, making young people change their habits and start consuming more fruit juices instead of sodas or alcoholic beverages.
“I want my business to have a positive effect not only for me and my family but also for my region and my country”.
Published Date: May 13, 2009