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 skills and, in many cases, entrepreneurial abilities, 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).
The Mexican Coca-Cola Industry, through Coca-Cola Foundation, has provided more than 180,000 training sessions to boost business development and growth during the pandemic and seeks to impact more.
Bepensa, as part of the Mexican Coca-Cola Industry (IMCC), has joined the commitment to promote and motivate women shopkeepers in the Yucatan Peninsula to develop their administrative skills with the goal of maintaining and growing their businesses.
In 2021, Bepensa supported 1,805 female shopkeepers on the Peninsula to reactivate Mexico's economy with training, loans, tools, and equipment to grow their businesses through its "Empowering Women and Small Businesses" program.
In Campeche, with the help of the Autonomous University of Campeche, we trained and empowered more than 670 women.
