Adriana Alegre’s story

Adriana Alegre Génez is the Winner of our Green Business of the Year Award 2022 and founder of Asociación Brotes de Mbaracayú, a collective based in the Paraguayan city of Villarrica. Adriana’s business is run by 14 young rural women students and professionals and supported by our member Fundación Paraguaya.

21-year-old Adriana started her business to solve two pressing issues in her hometown: increasing awareness of sustainable development and the green economy whilst addressing concerns about the high level of unemployment and labour exploitation in the city. 

Thanks to Adriana and her dynamic group of young women, their green message is spreading far and wide. They work to implement projects and programmes that generate sustainable management strategies for production activities, promoting the efficient use of natural resources. They also advocate for fair trade and education on the green economy and the generation of green jobs. One of their recent initiatives was transforming locally grown foods that can no longer be used for distribution into diversified and improved products, which increases local merchants’ income and gives new value to their goods while reducing organic waste. 

Through her business, Adriana also promotes the development of rural and semi-urban populations. Through counselling and motivation for entrepreneurship, it also works to tackle the proportion of unemployed young people, women and Indigenous people who do not attend school or receive training. This helps to foster creativity and innovation and contributes to Paraguay’s socioeconomic development.

As the winner of our Green Business of the Year Award 2022, Adriana received a trophy and business coaching.