Business Plan Competitions
Building on a model that has been successfully implemented in other countries in Central America, TechnoServe and its local partners have run a national business plan competition, Idea tu Empresa, in Honduras to help entrepreneurs turn their good ideas into thriving businesses. Eight winners received cash prizes to implement and grow their businesses. They represented all three competition categories—agro-industry, manufacturing and tourism—and hailed from all over the country. The winning business plans ranged from indigenous-themed restaurants to a plastic recycling collection center to a business selling traditional hand-embroidered scarves. Learn more.
Key supporters: Cargill, Grupo Lis Argos, Cervecería Hondureña, Navega and the U.S. Department of Agriculture

Building Businesses and Industries

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Cocoa
Since the late 1990s, TechnoServe has been working with various cocoa industry stakeholders—local government agencies, producer associations, research foundations and financial institutions—to help Honduran farmers and processors cater to the growing worldwide demand for fine cocoa. TechnoServe-led technical and business training is helping farmer cooperatives improve their crop quality and market access, generating higher incomes and creating many new jobs. The sector stands to increase in value from less than $1 million to $40 million in a few years.
Key supporters: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Cargill, Domori and Scharffen Berger

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Coffee
Honduras is Central America’s largest coffee producer, but low regard for quality has given the country a poor reputation in world markets. To help the industry live up to its potential to benefit the poor, TechnoServe has been helping 200 producers in western Honduras to produce higher-quality coffee to sell to lucrative international markets. The higher prices generate more income for the producers, allowing them to employ more farm workers, invest in their farms and send their children to school. Some 6,000 people have directly benefited from this program.
Key supporters: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Inter-American Development Bank and IHCAFE (Honduran Coffee Institute)

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Dairy
TechnoServe is helping small- and medium-sized dairy processing plants to improve their efficiency, bring their sanitation up to modern standards and establish links with more attractive buyers. Our business advisors created a “Good Manufacturing Practices” manual and are distributing it across the country. TechnoServe is also working with 950 small-scale farmers on the Atlantic coast to employ better farming practices and gain access to more lucrative markets.
Key supporters: U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Wal-Mart

Agriculture & Agribusiness › Horticulture
High-value horticultural crops are a particularly attractive industry segment for Honduras. TechnoServe is working to develop a sustainable horticultural sector by focusing on crops – such as roots and tubers, hot and sweet peppers, and cool-weather vegetables – that leverage Honduras' advantages. TechnoServe is helping producers to implement better agricultural techniques and to obtain financing, build infrastructure and establish links with high-end markets such as supermarkets and restaurants. As the businesses' efficiency and revenues have increased, so have the incomes of hundreds of rural producers. New jobs have also been created.
Key supporters: U.S. Department of Agriculture and Pizza Hut