Organic herbal extracts, syrups, tinctures and oils
Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.
Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?
Andreea Lorena
URSE
Goscian Group
, B, Bucharest
, GR, Ghimpati
More than 5 years
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The idea to process herbs starts from my healthy lifestyle. Introducing this idea in social entrepreneurship originates from my job. Being a sociologist, I have the ability to identify and solve social problems. I believe that my passion for nature and solving social problems by using my 10 years experience in business is a success formula. This project is creditworthiness, was nominated finalist in a Social Entrepreneurship Competition (over 500 entries) which is still in progress. For this, I've done an extensive research and I've identified all the resources: households with unused lands, Roma groups for collecting herbs and clients. This activity solves major issues: unemployment, poverty, social exclusion, migration and environmental.
Nutrition, Sustainable Agriculture, Smallholder Farmers.
I already found the clients: major companies of pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industry in Romania. There is also a big demand for export. The clients encourage us due to the development of industry and the high demand of natural extracts and oils placed in herbal supplements, creams and ointments. The number of consumers who purchase food supplements and creams with natural extracts and oils is increasing, which obviously increase consumption of raw materials that our enterprise can sell.
Since start-up including one complete cycle of herbs production, the social enterprise generates min 1360 Euro/ind/year (given that the minimum salary in Romania is 185 Euro/month while in rural areas the locals revenues are state aids less than 100 Euro/month) for 45 households, family farms, Roma groups and employees in the factory. Until the 5th year, we aim to provide sources of income for minimum 85 rural inhabitants and increase individual annual income up to 2200 Euro.
The social impact is measurable:
-can generate income for houndreds of rural inhabitants
-increase quality of life both for rural communities and for thousands of consumers
-protect the environment through organic farming, lands about 35 ha
-growth cohesion in the rural community and social inclusion of Roma
Our mission meets the needs of the rural community and has enormous potential for regional expansion.
Besides production and primary processing of medicinal plants (drying and chopping), our social enterprise aims to diversify the products range through advanced processing plants into extracts, oils and tinctures, that are most required by the clients. For clients from pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industry it is more profitable to buy extracts and oils on the strength of volume and great preservation active principles. To obtain these products we must invest in extraction equipment, presses and maceration vessels. Over the next two years we will increase the amount of herbs and therefore the organic production areas, increasing the number of producing households, family farms, Roma groups and the number of employees in the factory.
The social enterprise collects and buys medicinal plants from producing households, family farms and Roma groups. The harvest is placed in a manufacturing process to obtain natural extracts and oils. These are the products which our social enterprise has to sell to ensure financial sustainability and to generate income for the maintenance and development of his activities and to be able for further investments. The break-even is easily achieve.
Being a student, at the age of 19, without significant investment, I've founded a company which registered success and financial sustainability since start-up. From this and from further activities I've learned how to manage a business, how to research efficiently the target market, identify social problems and formulate solutions for their needs, I gained experience in HR, sales and marketing (http://www.linkedin.com/pub/urse-andreea/26/8b7/b81)