Chilanejo Ignacio Riquelme won first place nationally in the Emprende Award, given by BancoEstado, for his business “Oil Recycling.”
In total, 33 entrepreneurs from the country were recognized in the 19th version of the Award, which this year, in addition to the “Microenterprises” and “Small Businesses” categories, were added “Green World”, “Social Impact”, “Innovation” and “ GrowWoman.”
The Executive Committee of BancoEstado participated in the award ceremony, along with the Undersecretary of Economy, Javiera Petersen; the Undersecretary of Tourism, Verónica Pardo; and the Undersecretary of Sciences, Carolina Gainza.
As explained by the president(s) of BancoEstado, Verónica Kunze, with this award, “we want to recognize the efforts of entrepreneurs, since they are the main engine of the economy. Therefore, with this award, we seek to highlight their talent and the ability they have to get ahead, especially in times as difficult as those we have experienced recently.”
In this edition, nearly 40 thousand applications were received. In the Microenterprise category, first place went to Ignacio Riquelme, from Chillán; and in the Small Business category, it was Carolina Carrera, from Santiago, with “Lask Food”.
In the special categories, Francisco Fuentealba, from Yungay, stood out with his SME Frutos del Alma, recognized in the Green World category. Meanwhile, in Social Impact, it was received by Paulo Araya, from Iquique, for Alikum; in Innovation, Cristina Pizarrro, from Cabildo, for Amaranto; and in CreceMujer, Patricia Valderrama, from Curicó, with Totalwood.
Oil Recycle
“I receive this award with great pride, it is an honor to represent the region, and I think that I also, in some way, honor my ancestors, all entrepreneurs,” said Riquelme, who thanked “all the people who have been supporting me all these years.” years and that has allowed the business to be sustained.”
He created Reciclo Aceite in 2017 and as he explained, “we promote a circular economy, through oil recycling, recovery, with other grassroots recyclers, who are my support with whom I capture the oil, and I basically dedicate myself to transforming it. , through biochemical reactions, to be able to provide a sustainable solution through biodegradable products, which avoid the pollution that this waste can generate, and we create detergents, soaps, lubricants, candles, insecticides and fertilizers, all with an ecological approach, both in its productive line as well as in its final impact.”
Riquelme added Reciclo Aceite, in its social dimension, “is being able to share knowledge through workshops and environmental education talks, where I teach people different techniques to recycle oil and the impact that oil has on the environment.”
The entrepreneur highlighted that this award comes in a period of “important achievements”, since he was recently awarded Corfo resources and is beginning to export.
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