Renas Women Cooperative Association

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Renas Women Cooperative Association: Renas Factory for Olive Pickling (DEW-DROPES)

Al-Salt, JordanAl-Salt, Jordan
Year Founded:
2011
Organization type: 
hybrid
Project Stage:
Growth
Budget: 
$50,000 - $100,000
Website:
http://www.renasjordan.org
Facebook: 
https://www.facebook.com/Association-Rinas-the-womens-cooperative-22590052759306…
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Project Summary
Elevator Pitch

Concise Summary: Help us pitch this solution! Provide an explanation within 3-4 short sentences.

Unemployment in Jordan is high, estimated at 13.5% .Renas’ goal is to alleviate poverty and unemployment among women by engaging unemployed female agricultural engineers and unskilled women from low-income families in agricultural activities. providing high-quality products to its customers.

WHAT IF - Inspiration: Write one sentence that describes a way that your project dares to ask, "WHAT IF?"

What if I Start with agribusiness that focus on creating job opportunities for unemployed women and provide customer with healthy and organic food?
About Project

Problem: What problem is this project trying to address?

Unemployment in Jordan is relatively high, estimated at 13.5% and is particularly acute for Jordanian women. Many of highly-skilled female agricultural engineers in Jordan are unemployed because of the labour market’s lack of absorptive capacity,Renas’ goal is to alleviate poverty and unemployment between women, in addition providing healthy and environmentally-friendly agriculture products such as organic and healthy pickled olive and fruits.

Solution: What is the proposed solution? Please be specific!

Recognizing the importance of agriculture to Jordan’s economy, with the sector accounting for more than a quarter (28%) of the country’s GDP, Renas identified food preparation as an ideal economic activity that would utilize the skills and realize the potential of its members. Since the majority of its members owned small farms most of which have olive trees, Renas decided to manufacture olives, an important commodity in Jordan both in production and value. Ranked 6th of the top ten commodities produced in Jordan, and the 3rd commodity of the top ten commodities in value in 2012, olives make a significant contribution to the Jordanian economy (FAO 2014). Also, given the popularity of pickles in Jordan, Renas decided to manufacturing it.

Awards

In 2014, the founder of Renas, Leena Irshaid received special recognition for Social Entrepreneurship from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) for creating employment for women while operating a sustainable business
Impact: How does it Work

Example: Walk us through a specific example(s) of how this solution makes a difference; include its primary activities.

Renas has helped to challenge gender stereotype. Starting with feasibility study to assess the interest in these products,which indicated that the sector was undergoing rapid growth in production and exports. Renas embarked on building their capacity to operate a business. Suitable candidates were selected and trained in various aspects of the business. Highly-skilled women engineers received training in management practices, food preparation as well as marketing and human resource management.Renas production plant met both Jordanian food certification as well as ISO22000:2005 requirements. we start with 4 women,In the past three years, the business has created employment for ten permanent highly-skilled women and twenty seasonal employees.

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Also describe the projected future impact for the coming years.

In the past three years, the business has created employment for ten permanent highly-skilled women and twenty seasonal employees, in so doing, securing their livelihoods and raising their living standards Beyond providing employment for unemployed women and raising their living standards, engagement in Renas has also helped to raise their awareness of their social and economic rights among its members by encouraging its members to participate in the business’ decision-making and management, Renas has fostered ownership in the Cooperative, which now has 37 engineers. During 2014 Renas has established three greenhouses in collaboration with “Mezan Arabia” .see also https://www.feedingknowledge.net/02-search/-/bsdp/9212/en_GB

Spread Strategies: Moving forward, what are the main strategies for scaling impact?

Renas expects to increase production to 100 tons (100,000 kg) of different pickled olives and vegetables with new products by 2016, this will double its workforce to 20 full-time employees by most of whom will be highly-skilled women engineers engaged in production.With a growing workforce, the business plans to introduce a new product line in the market – healthier, natural low-sodium pickled product.Renas plans to start a small restaurant that will serve food made from their own products and promote healthy eating habits among children by providing healthy meals all over Jordan.
Sustainability

Financial Sustainability Plan: What is this solution’s plan to ensure financial sustainability?

As a way to promote ownership in the business, Renas has initiated a profit-sharing plan for its 37 members. As part of plan, each member is expected to receive 1,000 JD (US$ 1,400). In order to implement the scheme. Renas generate 50,000 JD (US 70,500) in profits in 2014. It is anticipated the remainder of the profits 13,000 JD (US$ 18,000) will be used to sustain the business.

Marketplace: Who else is addressing the problem outlined here? How does the proposed project differ from these approaches?

Marketed under the brand name (Dew Drops), Renas all natural, low-sodium and additive and preservative-free products were popular with health-conscious working women, who lack the time to prepare pickled olives and other vegetables at home with high-quality, healthy products that are made with organically-grown produce. Renas broaden its customer base to include high-profile institutions such as five-star restaurants and hotels as well as institutions like the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts. Renas had used the social media site to its advantage, in addition to exhibition participation.
Team

Founding Story

In 2007, I was a lecturer at Al Balqa Applied University also iwas volunteering at INJAZ, an organization that inspires and prepares young people to become productive members of society. I am trained young people in business aesthetics, market economics and leadership in order to help them to create their jobs after graduation. at that year i conducted a study on the effect of small agribusiness in local communities, which showed that a large proportion of women agricultural engineers were unemployed and living in poverty. So i decide to implement in the reality what i was training students on it .starting with establishing cooperative association.

Team

Renas now consist of 37 members 3 of them is the management committee board. I am the Founder and chairperson of the Association Management Board. While the factory (Dew Drops) has its own team. Eng. Rehan aboharb (Excusive manager) Eng. Heba Al-Ani (General manager) she is responsible on 4 other engineer:(Production manager, Quality control manager, Marketing manager and Supplement manager and 6 non engineer women in addition to part time accounting man and web page admin (2015). in 2015 we start with establishing training department which will be managed by training manager, and we prepare to establish laboratory in the factory which needs specialist in food analysis and customer service department which will be directed by specialist.
Background
Please confirm how you heard about the Unilever Awards:

by E mail from Ashoka

Please confirm your role in the initiative (eg Founder/co-Founder) and your organisational title:

Founder

Which of the 8 UN Global Goals (Sustainable Development Goals) pre-selected for this competition does your solution relate most closely to? [select all that apply]

No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Gender Equality, Clean Water and Sanitation, Decent Work and Economic Growth, Responsible Consumption and Production, Climate Action.

Leadership and the Unilever Awards
Please provide examples of any previous entrepreneurial initiatives you have pioneered.

Actually the success of this project (DEW-DROPS), open the way to start new project. It will deals with providing schoolchildren a special training in healthy and organic food. It will start in January 2016 under the name (Healthy junior chef). Which will be provided by mobile caravan, which will visit almost all schools in AL-Balqa governorate then to other places in Jordan. The investment of this project will be from Privet school wile it will be free for governmental school so it will have several goals, fighting hunger especially in children, creating job opportunities for women, save the environment.

Beyond your existing team, who else are you working with to achieve your objectives, eg partners, advisors, mentors?

Iam totally inspired by (My Husband) and my family. Agricultural Engineer Association is a logistical supporter for Renas. We also get scientific advice from academic specialist in organic healthy food production such as Dr. Mohamad Humaid, Dr. Hany Al-Dmour. For Technical and IT we get Advice from Dr. Hazem Hasan

File attachments: 
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