Green Entrepreneurship in the Food Industry: Eating Consciously Andraising Awareness in Barranquilla, Colombia

Nutritional challenges and food waste are becoming a priority in the food industry around the world. Within the food industry, entrepreneurship opportunities exist due to changes in dietary patterns and a demand for a business model that takes environmental and social causes into consideration. Furthermore, Colombia is ranked at the forefront of entrepreneurial endeavors in South America. This presentation provides an exploration of entrepreneurial innovations in the food industry in Barranquilla, Colombia and examines the drivers of these entrepreneurs and their effect on the environmental and social impact of their business. Design/methodology/approach:Case studies, from a qualitative standpoint, were built for various entrepreneurs in different areas of the food industry and at different stages of the entrepreneurial life cycle in Barranquilla, Colombia. The entrepreneurs were selected by way of a snowball effect. Through semi-structured interviews and visits to their place of business, it is determined how they created a business from a personal and societal need for healthier and more sustainable food choices. Their motives, challenges and views of the future, as wellas their environmental and social awareness and impact are also analyzed. Findings: The food entrepreneurs showed how they focus on social and environmental impact. Their initial motives and drivers define how they incorporated environmental and social aspects into their business. Some of the common constructs that emerged were environmental responsibility, a desire to educate consumers on environmentally-friendly practices and to further engage the community. This new type of food entrepreneur appears to affect society in positive ways, mostly by offering healthier and more sustainable food choices to people that predominantly ate processed/fast foods, and by stimulating a local interdependent economy through previously untapped opportunities. Research/practical implications:This presentation helps to paint a clearer picture of the entrepreneurial ecosystem and the circumstances small and medium sized business owners deal with in a local community of Colombia. It shows similar patterns and themes as to that done in different regions in the world, which proves how certain trends in green entrepreneurship are becoming a worldwide phenomenon. It would be interesting to expand the analysis through a comparison with a local community in a different locale. Originality/value: The realities of green entrepreneurship in South America have seldomly been covered in literature. Green entrepreneurship could be a way to tackle the challenges currently found in the food industry. This research sheds some light on the trends and innovations at the level of small and medium sized business owners in a local community in Colombia. Furthermore, the research aims to contribute to understanding the drivers and motivators of small and medium business sized owners, what inspired them to start their own business.