In what was a Monterrey Plant quarry, Cemex planted the seeds of social entrepreneurship by creating a greenhouse managed by local women.
What was harvested was a sustainable project, community development and, more tangibly, 220 giant lettuces.
In an effort to strengthen the social fabric and promote sustainability, the construction materials company created the “My green space” initiative, at the Tanque Prieto Quarry.
There he installed the greenhouse, intended for the hydroponic and semi-hydroponic production of tomatoes and lettuce, and which is managed by a biologist, a coordinator and nine volunteers from the area, who were previously trained in orchard management.
In October 2023, they began growing Alexandria lettuces, also known as French, and have just achieved their first harvest of 220 giant lettuces, weighing up to 400 grams each and 70 kilos of total production.
The unusual size of the lettuces is due to the care given to them by the women, the balanced nutrition they receive, and the selection of a variety suitable for the greenhouse conditions.
The main objective of this project, which was born from a similar one in Costa Rica, is to position the harvest as a high-value product and create a self-sustaining social enterprise that can be replicated in other locations.
The cooperative formed by women is responsible for the cultivation, harvesting, distribution and sale of farm products.
The goal for the spring-summer season is to achieve a harvest of 800 lettuces, with a production of 125 pieces per week until June, after which there would be a month of rest due to the heatwave, and work would resume in August for the autumn harvest. -winter.
