GEDI’s First Cohort [Empro] | Strengthening Women-Led Businesses in Guatemala (La dulce abuelita)

Fernanda Arias from Santa Rosa, Guatemala: How Innovation Goes Beyond New Products

Fernanda Arias, from Santa Rosa, Guatemala, provides an example of how innovation goes beyond just creating new products. With her new sales and delivery model, she has grown her bakery business, La Dulce Abuelita. In this case study video, she shares more about her strategy and the results she achieved after completing the EMPRO program.

ABOUT EMPRO: EMPRO Guatemala is a program led by INCAE Business School and supported by our Initiative for the Development of Entrepreneurship in Guatemala (GEDI). Over the past two years, 80 women entrepreneurs in Guatemala received training, mentorship, and practical experiences to take their businesses to the next level, access financing opportunities, and expand into new markets.

ABOUT GEDI: GEDI is a public-private partnership with a clear goal: to strengthen the business ecosystem to drive economic prosperity in Guatemala.

With support from USAID Guatemala and private sector partners, GEDI funds business development service providers, incubators, and accelerators to help bring the dreams of Guatemalan entrepreneurs to life and achieve economic stability.

Since 2021, the program has supported 16 Entrepreneurial Support Organizations (ESOs), impacting 4,600 entrepreneurs across the country.