Table Colombia Challenge

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In Colombia about 9.7 million tons of food are wasted annually, mainly perishable as fruits and vegetables, due to the low technological capacity to generate products with added value. This waste is evidenced with greater intensity in the distribution, frequency (retail) and consumption channels (food, industry and household services). On the other hand, the increase in the food trend READY TO GO / READY TO CONSUME responds to the transformation of the life rhythms of the population, who in turn has healthy and natural products with exotic and tropical flavors.

Alivital is a company committed to bring innovative solutions to the food industry in Colombia and around the world. By using a freeze dried process called lyophilization we are able to add a differential value to our Colombian fruits, vegetables and other kind of foods. This method of dehydration allows us to preserve the food for longer periods of time (up to 2 years), maintain all active nutrients without adding any preservatives, reduce cold-chain processes and lower the impact of 10 million of tons of food that are wasted annually in Colombia.

The market for freeze-dried foods is fragmented, and the products are not highly differentiated, which lead to reduced switching cost. This provides growth opportunities to new entrants in the market. The freeze-dried food market is gaining popularity and the leading companies are trying to gain sustainable competitive advantage through innovation.

In the developed markets, like the Americas and Europe, there is a rising trend of healthy snacks, which offers a great opportunity for the freeze-dried fruit and vegetable market. Consumers demand clean labels on products to gain knowledge about the product that they are about to consume and at what level. Their interest in identifying the ingredients present in the food & beverage products has triggered the growth of the clean-label ingredient market. The growing consumer focus on superior-quality ingredients that meet the clean-label requirement has driven the market. The major products driving the market in such markets are freeze-dried herbs, onions, potatoes, blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, sour cherries, and apples. The market is moderately competitive. Product innovation along with expansion is one of the key strategies that global players are adopting in order to stay ahead among competitors. The global freeze-dried food market is forecasted to reach USD 85.30 billion by 2024, registering a CAGR of 8.03% (mordonintelligence, 2018).

DIVERSITY, SUSTAINABILITY AND INNOVATION

• Exotic and tropical fruits 100% Colombian
• Long lasting food that retain 99% of their nutritional properties
• Reduced logistical and handling issues by reducing up to 95% of food weight. (save time, increased storage capacity and facilitate transportation).
• High quality products for the food industry, exportation, HORECA and pharmaceutical industries.

BENEFITS

• Time optimization
• Flavors, textures and innovative mixtures
• Long lasting fruits and vegetables
• Extend life of food by eliminating the cold-chain process
• Increase efficiency, lower costs

We offer high quality natural products for the food and gastronomy industry. Due to the versatility of our process our customers can enjoy the many usages and differential value that our food incorporates into the food market. Our food can be used to add taste, flavor to the most sophisticated dishes in the restaurant industry or simply as a nutritional and natural snack ready to consume

We provide excellent solutions for the food market, from the farmer to the exporter. Our focus is to contribute our knowledge to those phases of the food industry that require fresh and ingenious methods of commercialization. Our team along with SENA university rely upon years of experience and investigation in the production of lyophilized food.

Our business model is main B2B,  our customers wants nutritious and delicious freeze-dried fruits for their industry or service model in the HORECA segment. We work with restaurants, hotels, catering service, food and beverage industry. Our products are 100% pure and retain many of the natural nutritional, flavour and colour characteristics from their fresh form, the Alivital focus are the exotic and paradise colombian fruit, harvested in local production, with sustainable practices.

Alivital have one partner. Is a young women, her name is Carolina. She is agronomic engineer, Ms Food Safety. She is 28 years old, and have been worked and investigated  in the freeze dried food since the university. She like´s work with the family farmers, and wants reduce many rural problems in Colombia. She create Alivital with her mother, and won a entrepreneurship government program called Fondo Emprender in 2018.

The Alivital´s team are conformed by two comercial adviser, one engineer, the acconuntant and the others workers. Alivital business model was selected nationally among more than 459 projects that in 2018 were submitted to call on Fondo Emprender.

Main Milestones:

1. Certified production plan (HACCP)
2. Export to many countries
3. Brand recognition

Alivital can impact the rural and farmers in Colombia and reduce the big food loss. We want work with local farmers and show to the world the highest biodiversity, the different types of fruit.