Maria Julia

María is a 36-year-old entrepreneur. She is single and lives with her parents in the Centro Poblado de Tabanco, district of El Tallan, province and department of Piura, located in the north of the Peru.

María has a business of making and selling honey- by having her own hives that produce honey, but María also buys honey in bulk from her neighbours, who are also producers like her.

María has a good place where she sells honey, located on the Pan-American highway, where she has been selling honey for more than 6 years. She is also the President of the Association of Beekeepers in the area where she lives and is a continuous participant of the fairs that have been presented in the city of Piura, because the products she makes are recognized as being very high quality.

At present, María says that as a result of the demand for orders she has, she can have monthly sales of approximately S/5720.00 soles (£1129.22), and can generate a monthly profit of approximately S/3000.00 soles (£592.25). María reinvests most of these earnings back into her business, but also in planting alfalfa seeds.

Thanks to her first loan that Lendwithcare granted to María, she was able to invest in the purchase of her transport unit, a motorbike, which allows her to save money on daily mobility expenses between home and her farm where she sows alfalfa, which are 15 minutes drive apart. Maria often talks of how grateful she is to Lendwithcare for the support provided by the previous loans.

On this occasion, María will use her loan to invest in the implementation of 20 additional hives at a cost price of S/350.00 soles (£69.09) each. María hopes that with this investment she will obtain a greater profit margin, which will further allow her to plant more alfalfa on her farm and continue to support her parents.

María is one of the participants in the “Women in Business” project linked to CARE Peru's “Development and Economic Inclusion of Women” program. As a CARE Peru beneficiary, María Julia Ancajima Parado receives training and technical assistance to develop her business in a competitive and viable way, learning to manage her business with new management tools (financial, accounting and tax documents), quality control processes and finishing, and product presentation. At the same time, CARE Peru supports you to access new markets and innovate, and participate in decision-making spaces.

If you are lending, please be aware that due to the current COVID-19 pandemic your repayments could be at greater risk of delay or default.