When doing business can do good

Michaela Scarpatetti has been working for PRONATEC since September 2021 as International Sales Manager, focusing on semi-finished cocoa products. At the end of 2021, she went to visit the Providencia sugar mill in Colombia. She was impressed by the company's social commitment and shared some of her impressions from her visit with us. And she tells us what she like best about working for PRONATEC.

As an experienced sales manager, Michaela has built up a lot of expertise in the chocolate industry and has spent several years living and working in Asia. When we asked her why she likes working for PRONATEC, she said that her main priority is for her work to be meaningful.

Meaningful business
“For me, it’s important to make a difference. From my travels in other countries, I have seen how companies that are sustainable and socially engaged on a small scale can make a big difference. Achieving something positive while doing good business – that’s my main objective.” It is Michaela’s goal of reaching the best outcome for everyone involved that leads her to treat her customers as partners. For her, it’s always about negotiating terms that are good for both sides – trading fairly in every way, then. She is also looking forward to celebrating the first successes of the new PRONATEC Swiss Cocoa Production operation. “It’s definitely something special to be involved in such a big project from the very start!”

Interesting customers in the B2B sector
“I have always had a special relationship with chocolate. Not only as a sales person for a well-known chocolate manufacturer, but ever since I was at school, when I used to sell the famous ‘Schoggitaler’ chocolate coins door-to-door for good causes,” says Michaela with a smile. The range of different sectors is what makes her work interesting. “Chocolate manufacturers, global cosmetics brands and well-known Swiss milk processing companies – PRONATEC caters for all kinds of different needs. I find that very exciting.”

The Providencia sugar mill – impressive social commitment
In fact, Michaela’s first visit to a partner organisation did not take her into the world of cocoa but to the Providencia sugar mill in Colombia. Combining it with a visit to her husband’s family in Colombia, Michaela visited the factory in Cali – and was impressed by the social commitment demonstrated by this major company in the sugar cane industry. Its social activities focus on education, sport and practical training.

The company’s in-house training centre is a bonus for the whole region
It was back in 1961 that the company founded the Providencia Integral Training Centre, the biggest social project in the sugar cane sector, with the aim of enabling employees’ children to get a proper education. Nowadays, the majority of the children come from the wider community, so the school is benefiting the entire region. About 4,000 children and young people of various ages attend the Providencia training centre every year. An important priority is to give the young people prospects for the future, and in this way protect them from risks such as drug dealing, alcoholism and prostitution. By offering various services such as manufacturing industrial clothing, the centre has made itself entirely self-supporting.

First “B Corp”-certified sugar mill
Providencia is the first sugar mill in the world to be endorsed with the "B Corp lable" label. The certifying organisation, “B Lab”, is an American NGO that has been sponsoring companies around the world since 2006 which are having a positive impact in three ways – environmental, social and economic. The company currently processes over 3,400,000 tonnes of sugar cane a year and produces 269,792 tonnes of sugar, over 67 million litres of alcohol and 250,951 MWh of energy every year. In recent years, the mill has significantly expanded the amount of organic sugar cane that it grows. The company also manages its own nature conservation area and works to preserve the ecosystem and species diversity. Providencia is a valued partner for us which, with its environmental and social commitment, stands for values that are also very dear to us.

To finish, any personal tips?
"For me, aguapanela is one of the things I shall remember about Colombia. You simply mix 2 cups of water with a few spoonfuls of SUCANAT (whole cane sugar), bring to the boil and then leave to cool... You can add a shot of lime juice and a few ice cubes if you like. Perfect on hot days!"

You can contact Michaela Scarpatetti on LinkedIn or by email: scarpatetti@pronatec.com

Click here for an overview and photo of all the PRONATEC employees