As a student working with JA Bajío in San Juan del Río, Querétaro, México, Diana Martínez Mancilla saw a business opportunity: healthy snacks made from locally abundant foods. She started experimenting with drying fruits—mangos, papayas, pineapples, grapes, bananas—with a solar-powered dehydrator. Soon, she earned an Instituto Nacional de Economía Social grant to build a full-scale dehydrating facility and located it behind her home. Now, this Junior Achievement Worldwide alumna and her company, MexdeSolar, are on their way to producing healthy, locally produced snacks and improving the local economy.
Location: San Juan del Rio, Queretaro, Mexico.
