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Interviews

Sustainability Meets Business

Interview with Sommos
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Written by Karina Torres

After concern about the threatening global climate crisis, the Mexican small business of Sommos seeks to preserve the environment through fair, sustainable, and local trade, according to founder Fernando Pérez and co-founder Tania Arroyo Zambrano.

The food industry is one of the least sustainable sectors in the supply chain, and the most significant impacts come from supermarkets, the founder explained.

"We are the only platform that gives the option to buy and consume truly sustainable and accessible," Pérez indicated.

 

The business is an online supermarket app that offers fresh produce and  other organic and local products, distributed in reusable containers and delivered by bicycle.

 

It's all about a sustainable cycle

According to the co-founder, Sommos responds to a "supply cycle" based on specific logistics and technological infrastructures, where the development of the company relies on a rigorous and interconnected scheme of these infrastructures.

As a result of the technological characteristics of the app and the logistical characteristics of the company, such as the options for reusable containers, the availability of products in all their phases of shell life, regenerative and local production, and deliveries by bicycle, Sommos has managed to establish a business model that supports a  sustainable commercial and environmental growth, Arroyo Zambrano explained.

"We detected that the current supply chain that encompasses the vast majority of problems," the co-founder said in regards to the motivation behind Sommos' business model.

Likewise, according to both founders, the company constantly seeks to improve its packaging and containers in order to achieve the least possible impact on the environment. They explained that they have experimented with packaging made from natural materials such as cloth and paper and glass containers and baskets.

 

What products do they offer?

According to Arroyo Zambrano, most of the items offered in the digital application are artisan products and foods that have gone through evaluation and a traceability process.

"All harvests and all artisan products are prepared locally, we also require an ingredient declaration that tells us the ingredients used in the products," the co-founder explained in regards to the business’ criteria for their products.

In addition, Arroyo Zambrano assured that the vegetables and fruits offered on the platform are produced through a harvest free of pesticides and other agrochemicals, in order to offer organic products that, at the same time, do not harm the environment. Moreover, animal-based products are made in a “humane way” that is cruelty-free.

"For us (Sommos) it is important that they don’t have factories (the producers), that they are local, that they return the containers, and that they make an ingredient declaration... with us you know who made it, where it was done," the co-founder said.

The platform offers a variety of items and products, from toothpaste tablets and detergents to vegetable milks and cheeses. However, the products in greatest demand are vegetables, fruits, grains and nuts, jams and honey, according to Arroyo Zambrano.

The co-founder also stated that the prices of the products offered in the app range between 20 to 400 Mexican pesos ($1 to $20 USD). However, she explained that the cost of delivery is added to the final price, which starts from 45 pesos ($2 USD), as well as the cost of the containers of the first purchase which range between 10 to 40 pesos (50 cents to $2 USD). 

 

Future projections and goals

Sommos is currently exclusive to Mexico City. However, Pérez and Arroyo Zambrano affirmed that they actively seek to expand their services to other regions with local production potential.

In addition, according to the founders, another goal for the business is to measure its contribution of greenhouse gases, as well as its use of energy and water in processing and storage procedures. In the same way, they also indicated that they aim to carry out impact studies and sustainability reports in order to carry out more aligned executive decisions.

“We want to do impact studies to show how much customers have helped the environment. After each purchase, I want to let you know how you helped… it is important for people to know this,” Arroyo Zambrano explained.

According to Pérez, the most important thing about sustainability is personal questioning, which is why this leads to a conscious social and environmental visualization. He emphasized that it is about questioning oneself and decisions.

"Ask yourself where it comes from, how and where it was produced and under what conditions, and what materials were used," Arroyo Zambrano encouraged regarding the questions that should be asked about production within the supply chain.

"Sommos emerged as an answer to make life more sustainable," the Founder expressed. 

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