Abejita Perú
Enterprise producing beeswax food wraps and selling apiculture products to prevent food waste and support beekeepers.
Abejita Perú was founded during the pandemic by Alicia Pasco, initially focused on producing beeswax-coated fabric wraps to reduce food waste and plastic use. The business began selling primarily online from a production space within Alicia's home.
Abejita expanded its product catalog beyond wax wraps to include honey, pollen, propolis, beeswax candles, and pollen-with-honey products, establishing key supplier alliances with a Peruvian textile factory and a local female beekeeper found at a trade fair.
Alicia joined women's entrepreneurial associations including AMEP and later MISUR, which opened doors to her first trade fair at the Peruvian Chancellery and provided networking, knowledge, and access to government programs.
Abejita Perú won the Proinnovate government competition, a program co-financed with the IDB targeting climate-change-focused startups, receiving a non-reimbursable seed capital of S/53,000. The funds were used to improve production capacity, packaging, and paid social media advertising.
In May, Abejita celebrated two years in operation, with Alicia noting that reaching five years would represent a major achievement given the challenges faced by small Peruvian social enterprises.
Alicia articulated a long-term vision to open physical stores in Lima and the provinces, internationalise Peruvian apiculture products, and expand partnerships with female beekeepers to create employment for women in a male-dominated sector.