In 2002, after feeling the ravages of the foot-and-mouth disease and the financial crisisa group of families of the town of Baltasar Brum in Artiguense —of just over 2,500 people and an hour and a half from the departmental capital— decided support the idea of a local teacher.
The idea of the village teacher Marcos Azuaga was to set up a vegetable garden around the school to harvest vegetables. “We believed that this garden could overcome some deficiencies,” the teacher narrated in dialogue with Coffee & Business.
Many people in the village had land, which they could use for the project. And so it was formed community.
That area of the country is cattle-raising, so the vegetables came from other places: at that time, from the 129 families in Baltasar Brum who had children at school, only 29 had a gardenAzuaga pointed out. Thanks to the promotion of entrepreneurship, today that number climbed to 84.
Time passed and this initiative continued, not only thanks to the efforts of the families and the teacher, but also due to the support of various organizations such as the National Development Agency (ANDE).
With the evolution of entrepreneurship over almost 15 years, the six families who contributed to the plantations, in addition to Azuaga, decided to take one of the most important steps: institutionalize the initiative.
This is how it was formally founded Councilor of Baltasar Brumunder the label of cooperativein 2016, with the support of the Ministry of Livestock, Agriculture and Fisheries.
According to the teacher, the name is due to the axes that articulate the venture from the beginning: positive thinking (the first two “p”), passion, patience, perseverance and participation.
Cooperation Conseisp was conceived with an imprint agroecological from the beginning, since they organically produce vegetables, fruits and eggs, among other products. In turn, they recycle their waste through a joint effort with Fundación Logros.
This performance led to the cooperative being recognized with the award for Mipyme of the Year in the Mipyme with Impact category by ANDE.
The development of Conseisp brought employment to the town, including many of those who, as children, began planting in 2002 and then they joined as entrepreneurs and work in different positions within the cooperative.
Foundation Achievements
Conseispe Cooperative
At present, not only is it no longer necessary for Baltasar Brum to “import” vegetables, but he also exports them thanks to the organization and professionalization of the families that make up the enterprise.
In fact, 85% of what is produced in Conseisp’s orchards is sold to businesses in Montevideo and Canelonesand, in addition, their crops are also sold around the town.
According to Azuaga, the money they earned through the recognition of ANDE will be used to build another hothouse to be incorporated into the production areas of the MSME. In addition, the teacher advanced to Coffee & Business that for the medium term they expect get to jump with natural foods.
Today, the teacher and entrepreneur calculates that the products of Conseisp reach 250 families uruguayan And he reflects that this is what happens when peoples, like Brum, “empower themselves”.
