The Birth of the Trade Center of the Americas

In April 2020, with the experience I had gained and a renewed focus on sustainability, I founded the Trade Center of the Americas.

The mission was clear: to create economic growth opportunities for entrepreneurs through production and export, grounded in ethics and sustainability.

Very soon, I realized something essential: while the word “sustainability” had the same definition everywhere, its meaning and value were not the same in the U.S. as in Latin America.

For rural entrepreneurs in Latin America, sustainability was not an abstract concept. It was daily life. It meant:

1. Natural Resources: They are precious and valued because climate change impacts families and communities directly, every single day.

2. Ancestral Values: Water, soil, plants, and the ecosystem are honored throughout the production cycle.

3. Laws and Policies: Many Latin American countries have enacted environmental laws—even granting legal rights to nature.

4. Social Inclusion: Unlike in the U.S., where technology often replaces workers, sustainability in Latin America means protecting jobs and livelihoods.

5. Human Rights: Though enshrined in constitutions, lack of awareness in rural communities often leads to gaps in enforcement.

6. Women’s Inclusion: Over 60% of the agricultural workforce is made up of women, making sustainability a gender issue as well.

7. Public Safety: Work opportunities reduce risks of crime among children and youth.

8. Resilience to Organized Crime: Sustainability requires public policies that protect entrepreneurs from narco-economies and transnational crime, which devastate rural economies.

9. Natural Advantage: Fertile land, microclimates, biodiversity, and social ecosystems favor production—but without safety and protection, these advantages are lost.

   
   

Closing Reflection: For Latin America, sustainability is not just a global standard. It is a daily fight to survive, to include, and to prosper amid difficult realities.

Looking Forward

This is how my journey began—at the intersection of international trade, ethics, and sustainability.

Today, the Trade Center of the Americas, the WeFairTrade Academy, and ETHICA Certification represent the evolution of this vision: a world where Latin American entrepreneurs can prosper without abandoning their values, and where global trade is grounded in justice, inclusion, and respect for nature.

Final Reflection: I’ve learned that sustainability is not a luxury nor a slogan. It is a commitment to life, to equity, and to the future of our communities. And that commitment continues to guide every step of my work.