Forty Honduran women visited a PriceSmart Club on January 23 and 25 in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, respectively, as part of the EMPRO Honduras Training Program, which began in October 2022.
The purpose of these visits is for the businesswomen to learn more about what it means and implies to be a supplier of a company of PriceSmart's size and prestige, and to obtain additional information to that which they receive in the training program.
During the visit to the Clubs in both cities, the businesswomen had the opportunity to establish direct contact not only with the managers of each Club, but also with a large work team, purchasing personnel, product and merchandise experts, among others. The EMPRO businesswomen asked questions and clarified doubts about the different topics addressed. One of the most frequently asked questions was about PriceSmart's requirements for becoming a supplier. The visit also included a tour of various areas of the Club.
"At PriceSmart we are committed to increasing the number of women-led businesses in our supply chain. Our company is proud to join INCAE and the PriceSmart Foundation to support the EMPRO initiative that seeks to strengthen women-led businesses in Honduras, so they can access better market opportunities and financing," said Jesus Von Chong, Executive Vice President Regional Merchandising, PriceSmart.
"With these visits to the Clubs, I was able to understand that PriceSmart is a company committed to supporting women-led entrepreneurship. The entity has initiatives in place that have been designed to attract and motivate women-led businesses, so that their products meet the high quality and safety standards required by the Clubs. The PriceSmart staff shared their knowledge with us with human warmth and professionalism," said Gracia Barahona, EMPRO's Manager in Honduras.
EMPRO was developed by INCAE Business School under the Women's Business Growth initiative and has the financial support and accompaniment of the PriceSmart Foundation and Cargill. Its objective is to strengthen women's business knowledge through a series of training courses that will contribute to the transformation and scaling of their businesses, promoting access to new markets and financing. It is also supported by other national partners and Mastercard.
EMPRO Honduras began its first module in October 2022. Currently, the entrepreneurs are taking the second module where they are learning about quality requirements, health, governance, among others, from high-level companies, and from members of the faculty of INCAE, national and international executives and other experts.
For more information, please contact Mauren Esquivel at mauren.esquivel@incae.edu or Gracia María Barahona, EMPRO Honduras Program Manager at gracia.barahona@clacds.incae.edu.
