Today’s world faces great changes that pose new challenges in the way we do business, work relationships, how we live and the development of people. In Argentina we have all the potential to promote the growth and prosperity that our country needs thanks to the talent of the people, natural resources, creativity and infrastructure.
In this context I always ask myself: What can we do as company leaders to create more opportunities for people? How should we face the challenges that today’s society poses to us? What is the role of our company as agents of social change? I don’t have the answers to all the questions. QBut I am certain that the key to success is rethinking what we do, exploring new paths, taking risks to move forward and working as a team, with humility, empathy and planning over time. If we achieve greater planning, combined with creativity, the combo is unbeatable.
For this reason, I understand that companies have the responsibility of promoting innovation to generate transformation with projects linked to the business that create a positive impact on society with the aim of improving the quality of life and expanding opportunities for people. To achieve this, there are innovative business models with social products where 100% of their profits are reinvested to solve a social and environmental challenge. These cutting-edge models allow the consumer to be involved to achieve scale and create more impact; They are robust because they are part of the business and viable in the long term because they are financially sustainable.
Gauchada, our social impact platform, is a great example of this search and the long-term commitment we have with Argentines. We work on three pillars: food, training and entrepreneurship. Since its creation, Gauchada has been much more than a social initiative; It is a new way of thinking about business, which seeks to articulate efforts, resources and creativity to generate opportunities.
On this path, and as part of the company’s transformation, in 2022 we decided to involve the consumer by launching our first food, Gauchada barley, and our first social product. We wanted to do it from the heart of our business: barley, the essential ingredient in beer. Pearl barley is a rich, nutritious and profitable food, a grain that helps us all eat better. For every package of Gauchada we sell, we send a plate of barley to the people who need it most.
Making a gauchada is a very Argentine term, it is part of our essence, it is having empathy with the other when things get a little more difficult. And there is data to prove it, according to a study on the Culture of Giving in Argentina – carried out this year by Qendar, Voices! and the Center for Social Innovation of the University of San Andrés -, 75% of young people perceive themselves as supportive, 5 out of 10 young people believe in their ability to influence the social life of their environment while half see themselves supporting NGOs in the next decade.
The journey of these 6 years fills me with pride and enthusiasm: we have already reached more than 2,000,000 people and 1,000 civil society organizations, through training programs, support for businesses and the delivery of more than 1,000,000 dishes of barley to the people who need it most.
And this year, with the aim of scaling this initiative, we launched the campaign “Let’s all have a gauchada” and we completed the donation of one million plates of barley, distributed through the Conciencia Association, Food Bank and Cáritas to support families in their access to nutritious food, and with the collaboration of Andreani so that the donations reach every corner of the country.
From Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes, we renew our commitment to this path, convinced that together—companies, community and civil society—we can be part of the solution. Because investing in people not only transforms lives, it also redefines the impact that companies can have on the world.
President of Cervecería y Maltería Quilmes
Source: Ambito
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