The Eastern Caribbean Greenpreneurs Incubator Program Announces Recipients of US $10,000 Seed Grants for 10 Green Businesses
Media Release Courtesy GGGI
Thursday, December 7, 2023 — The Eastern Caribbean Green Entrepreneurship Initiative is delighted to reveal the awardees of its esteemed US $10,000 seed grants as part of its Greenpreneurs Incubator program.
This initiative, which is dedicated to fostering and championing environmentally and socially responsible business endeavors within the Eastern Caribbean region, awarded ten deserving recipients, selected from the program’s third cohort. These green businesses have exhibited remarkable dedication and innovation in the realm of sustainability.
The ten green businesses to receive the US $10,000 seed grants are as follows:
| Name | Country | Business Name | Business Description |
| Ryan Gittens | Grenada | Spice Isle Solar | Solar design and installation business in Grenada and the Caribbean aims to provide reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy solutions to solve the problem of rising electricity prices and over-reliance on fossil fuels. |
| Hayden Redhead | Grenada | Home Grown Goodness (Agriculture, Aquaculture or Agro-processing) | Home Grown Goodness produces a variety of healthy, nutrition dense, delicious foods that are grown sustainably and with little to no waste on production or consumption. |
| Shelly-Ann Meade | Dominica | Little Zion | Little Zion is an agro-tourism business which operates a unique tourist attraction site: a waterfall. It will regenerate an organic farm which will provide raw materials for unique guided tours and a farm-to-table culinary experience. It will also provide eco-friendly accommodation based on modern sustainable design techniques and utilize solar- and hydro-based power sources to create a completely off-grid system. |
| Juanna McKenzie-Jospeh | Antigua and Barbuda | rEvive Solutions or Green Island Solutions (Circular Economy & Waste Management) | rEvive Solutions solves the problem of improper disposal and accumulation of electronic waste which can lead to environmental and health hazards. |
| Rhonda St. Hill Blanchard | Saint Lucia | Regal Farms (Agriculture, Aquaculture or Agro-processing) | Regal Farms’ mission is to provide high quality, nutritional, and chemical free vegetables and meat for consumption whilst assisting to reduce Saint Lucia's food import bill. |
| Shane Compton | St. Vincent and the Grenadines | SVG Microgreens (Agriculture, Aquaculture or Agro-processing) | SVG Microgreens will provide the highest quality, most nutritious and best tasting fresh microgreens, microgreens supplements, microgreens blends and powders to the island of St. Vincent and regional markets while striving to grow more food with less resources and forming an open and welcoming environment to foster the next generation of farmers. |
| Bernice Gaspard | St. Lucia | Gaspard Agro & Processing Farm (Agriculture, Aquaculture or Agro-processing) | Gaspard Agro & Processing farm provides quality organic crops all year round to keep a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. |
| Jeune Guishard-Pine | St. Kitts and Nevis | St Kitts Beekeeper's Co-Operative (Agriculture, Aquaculture or Agro-processing) | The SKBC is a group that promotes increasing the local honeybee population to enhance the production of local raw honey and products from hives and develop Api tourism as a rural tourism product. |
| Kervin Vidal | Dominica | K. Vidal's Enterprise (Agriculture, Aquaculture or Agro-processing) | K Vidal's Enterprise aims to manufacture natural, organic products free from additives to persons looking for healthier products for a healthier lifestyle. |
| Eurta Chiverton | St. Kitts and Nevis | Kittitian Bloom (Agriculture, Aquaculture or Agro-processing) | Kittitian Bloom provides an array of locally grown fresh fruits and vegetables as well as cut flowers using ecological and sustainable farming practices which contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gases and pesticides. |
Each of the enterprises has exhibited outstanding potential within their specific industries, showcasing a distinct dedication to sustainability and a determination to contribute positively to environment and/or social issues. They not only completed all the assigned tasks with precision but also demonstrated a strong commitment to sustainability and green business practices. The rigorous selection process for these grants included a comprehensive evaluation of each participant’s business plan, environmental and social impacts, financial projections, and potential for long-term success. The grantees showcased an impressive blend of innovation and environmental and social responsibility, putting in the hard work required to meet the stringent criteria set by the selection committee. The seed grants aim to offer essential financial backing, enabling them to advance their initiatives and expand their activities.
"We are excited to unveil the awardees of the $10,000 seed grants for the 3rd Cohort of the Eastern Caribbean Greenpreneurs Incubator Program. These enterprises exhibit significant potential to catalyze sustainable transformations in our region. With this initiative, our goal is to equip them for elevated success, nurturing a future where green innovation flourishes," commented Dr. Kristin Deason, Caribbean Representative at Global Green Growth Istitute (GGGI).
She extended heartfelt congratulations to each winner and expressed anticipation for their growth and achievements in the future at the graduation event for the third cohort held on November 20, 2023.
The Eastern Caribbean Greenpreneurs Incubator program is a free, carefully curated training and mentoring program designed to support green entrepreneurs to build robust and sustainable business models, and the skills, tools, and confidence to implement them for success. The program featured a 12-week virtual green business training based on the lean start-up methodology, a mentorship program, one-on-one coaching and networking opportunities culminating in the Business Plan Competition. The program is part of the Eastern Caribbean Greenpreneurs Initiative which was launched in 2021 and is being implemented by GGGI in collaboration with the OECS Commission with funding from the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD). The initiative also features a green business Accelerator Program, which supports established green business through interest-free loan financing and access to a green investor network.
For more information on the Eastern Caribbean Greenpreneurs Initiative, and the awarded businesses, please visit www.caribbeangreenpreneurs.com.
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With 48 Member States, GGGI is an intergovernmental organization that supports developing country governments’ transition to a model of economic growth that is environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. GGGI delivers programs in over 40 partner countries with technical support, capacity building, policy planning & implementation, and by helping to build a pipeline of bankable green investment projects. More on GGGI’s events, projects and publications can be found on www.gggi.org. You can also follow GGGI on Twitter and join us on Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn.
The Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS) is a Member of GGGI as a regional body. In the Caribbean this membership allows GGGI to work in close partnership with the OECS Commission at the regional level, as well as directly with the governments of the 11 OECS member states at the national level. GGGI maintains an embedded staff presence at OECS headquarters in Saint Lucia and to date has delivered programs in partnership with the governments of Grenada, Dominica, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Lucia. Further information can be found at www.caribbeangreenpreneurs.com and https://www.gggi.org/country/caribbean