Women are the driving force behind small businesses such as convenience stores and grocery stores in Mexico. Six out of every 10 small shops are run by women, demonstrating their management and, in many cases, entrepreneurial skills, which have allowed them to take control of the traditional retail sector in recent years.
According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), women own one-third (36.6%) of micro, small, and medium-sized manufacturing, commercial, and private non-financial services establishments (MSMEs). Furthermore, female business owners hire more women (two paid women for every man), and 86.1% of their staff remains employed year-round.
Female entrepreneurs contribute 37% of Mexico's GDP, reflecting their importance in economic activity. Additionally, they allocate 80% of their salaries to their families, according to the Mexican Association of Women Business Leaders (AMMJE).
As part of our commitment to empower and motivate these women across the country, the Mexican Coca-Cola Industry (IMCC), through Coca-Cola FoundationFor almost a decade, the company has trained more than 180,000 women in its value chain to develop their administrative skills, with the goal of maintaining and growing their businesses.
The goal for this year is to impact more than 25,000 women in 14 states across Mexico as part of our "Empowering Women and Small Businesses" strategy, through which we seek to promote the social, economic, and digital development of women to enhance their success through a personal and business training plan.
In addition to these training sessions, the Mexican Coca-Cola Industry (IMCC), comprised of Bepensa and seven other bottling groups, has provided support through an investment of more than 5 billion pesos in the maintenance and improvement of its small stores, more than 190,000 loans to reactivate its economy, and more than 500,000 pieces of protective equipment so that it can better manage its business and cope with the health crisis.
At Bepensa, we know that women are at the heart of Mexico's small businesses and are essential to communities and the country's economic recovery. That's why the IMCC has supported them for 95 years, promoting them in the workplace and around the world through global and local initiatives. For the love of them, their families, and Mexico, let's support the women of our country.
