Impact Stories:

Sector: Agriculture

Rima Dates is a date farming family business from the south of Algeria.
During the years, Hammou Boussada and his family, realised that 60% of date production ended up as cattle feed because is not the varieties that market asks for. Rima Dates acknowledged that and started making use of unwanted fruits, all while providing income to farmers.

Support received:

• Green Business Canvas & Green Business plan training and coaching
• Mentoring and Technical Assistance
• 15.000€ grant Impact:
• 14 tonnes of low grade dates valorised into by products (represents a 100% increase on their initial 7 tonnes)
• 4 new products developed
• 2 new female employees hired
• 100 kg. reduction in cellophane used per year
• 50% reduction of electricity consumption within their overall production cycle
• 400% increase of vinegar production (from 3,000 litres to 15,000 litres per year)
• 200 grams of oil extracted from 4 kg of date seed: lab test on date seed oil demonstrates a business case for use of date seed oil in cosmetics
• 40% time savings achieved in terms of their packaging cycle

“We are now able to valorise 14 tons of low grade dates into by-products, which represents a 100% increase from our initial seven tonnes.”

Hammou Boussada, founder of Rima Dates

Sector: Renewable energy & Sustainable building

Lina Al-Kurdi is the founder of Lina Energy – LE, the first company in Jordan to specialise in designing and installing green roofs, insulating buildings at the same time as improving energy efficiency and air quality.

Lina Energy believes in the need to restore green spaces that are being lost for construction projects, resulting in environmental and energy challenges affecting us on many levels such mental and physical health.

Support received:

• Training in Green Business Canvas development
• 8 months incubation support to develop the Green Business plan
• Mentoring and external support from 2 technical advisors
• Communication skills training to pitch to investors
• 15.000€ grant

Impact:

• Direct contribution to the climate change crises with a reduction of 82,500 kg. of CO2 emission
• 7,000 m2 of increased production

• Direct contribution to the climate change crises with a reduction of 82,500 kg. of CO2 emission
• 7,000 m2 of increased production

“For any green entrepreneur the most sensitive part is the financial part. It enables you to hire people, to buy equipment and so on.
So, when I learnt that I was the winner of the SwitchersFund GEM OSCE Award prize of 15.000€, I was thrilled and actually relieved because it enabled me to upgrade my nursery as well as increase my production capacity.”

Lina Al-Kurdi, founder of Lina Energy

Sector: Renewable Energy and Waste Treatment

ENRD2-Engrais Bio, is the venture created by Khaoula Remmal, that aims to give new life to organic waste. ENRD2-Engrais Bio assist and advise cattle farms to install biogas plants that transforms the organic waste into renewable energy used for electricity, heating and fertiliser.

Support received:

• Training in Green Business Canvas development
• 8 months incubation support to develop a Green Business plan
• Mentoring & external support from 2 technical advisors
• Networking & knowledge exchange opportunities with other entrepreneurs from the region

Impact:

• 32 tonnes of organic waste per cow per month collected
• 3,400 tonnes of organic waste per year saved
• 38 million tonnes of CO2 avoided (By 2020)
• 40% reduction of organic waste (sludge to be treated)
• Creation of 24 full time jobs over 10 years
• 155 tonnes of compost reused per year, producing an average of 400 m³ of biogas & thermal energy,
covering the total energy needs of a cattle farm and part of the dairy production unit

“Our organic waste recycling project has also a positive social impact as 24 permanent jobs will be created for a period of 10 years.”

Khauola Remmal, founder of ENRD2