Breakfast of Champions
How USAID is supporting women entrepreneurs in Guatemala
Guatemala has many culinary must-tries, like flavorful corn tortillas and the aromatic chicken stew pepián. One of its more exotic fares is raw quail egg mixed in a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.
Vendors selling this traditional breakfast dot the roadside of Coatepeque, a town on the sunny west coast of Guatemala. That’s where Madeleen, a 29-year-old entrepreneur, first tried the drink and got an idea for a business venture.
“I felt so energized and healthy after drinking it that I became a regular,” Madaleen said. “Vendors always commented about how fast the quail eggs go bad because they’re shipped in from far away. And that got me thinking.”
Small Eggs, Big Dreams
In 2020, Madeleen started her quail egg business in her backyard with 60 quail. Within a year, she expanded to 200 quail, and she soon ran into challenges managing her small business.
She lacked the skills to make her business formal and more professional, which would allow her to attract more customers and, importantly, sell in grocery stores.
Entrepreneurial Spirit
In Guatemala, young people face high levels of social and economic marginalization, insecurity, and lack of healthcare and educational opportunities.
Despite this, many Guatemalan youth are would-be entrepreneurs. According to the Youth Entrepreneurship in Guatemala report, for every 100 young Guatemalans, 50 have a clear idea of a business they would like to start. Of those, only three are able to establish a business. Women entrepreneurs face an even bigger challenge, with only 27 percent of women in Guatemala owning a business.
To ensure that youth have the resources and opportunities to build sustainable livelihoods and reduce violence in municipalities, USAID’s Urban Municipal Governance project partnered with Guatemala’s National Youth Council to create online learning platform Emprendi2. This free resource provides entrepreneurs ages 18–29 with training courses to improve their business skills and provide access to quality education opportunities.
Building a Formal Business
Madeleen heard about Emprendi2 on the local radio station and was immediately interested in the opportunity. She enrolled and joined 2,400 other young Guatemalans from across the country to learn how to improve their business skills.
Madeleen dedicated herself to the program and took advantage of every possible opportunity to gain the skills necessary to manage a small business.
She was rewarded after six months as one of 12 entrepreneurs who, through this support, received a $1,000 jump starter fund from the Government of Guatemala to invest in their business.
Madeleen used the capital to design her business’s logo, create a website, and set up online sales. Now, she has expanded to 700 quail and has over 115 regular customers.
Having a formal business has opened her up to new financing opportunities and she relocated her quail farm to a larger space. She’s now working to get her business legally registered so she can sell her quail eggs in grocery stores.
“USAID helped me to build a formal business,” Madaleen said, proudly. “I’m currently studying law and my quail are providing the resources to get my degree and support my daughter.”
It is critical for young Guatemalans to have access to educational opportunities so that they don’t resort to irregular migration. Madeleen is just one of many young Guatemalans with innovative business ideas that can transform communities into places where Guatemalans can thrive.
USAID is committed to supporting the youth of Guatemala through education programs and workforce training to provide them with the skills they need to build healthy lives and communities.
About the Author
Benjamin Ilka is a storyteller and visual media specialist at USAID’s Mission in Guatemala, and Samantha Boss is a Communications Coordinator at Tetra Tech.
