Opes Impact Fund

Refolo is a type B social cooperative that sees social agriculture as having a dual impact: social and environmental. Refolo was created with the aim of creating an agro-ecological and social corridor that runs through the province of Brescia from north to south with the hope that administrations and other communities will come together to generate a positive impact on the environment and the community. Refolo operates in an area located between the municipalities of Brescia, Collebeato, Villa Carcina and Montirone, territories that share the presence of agricultural areas that over the years have been abandoned due to their unsuitability for intensive agriculture and lack of interest by new generations and that are now ready to start again.

Ecodudu is a Nairobi-based company that specializes in recycling organic waste materials into high-protein animal feed and organic fertilizer through the use of the black soldier fly. Founded in 2016, the company addresses critical global challenges such as waste management, the increasing demand for protein, and environmental sustainability. Ecodudu provides waste collection services and produces products like dundu meal, which is suitable for poultry, fish, and amphibians, as well as shamba mix, an organic fertilizer that enhances plant growth. By utilizing insects as natural recycling agents, Ecodudu aims to convert food and organic waste into nutritious biomass, thereby supporting farmers in boosting production with chemical-free agricultural inputs.

Sistema.bio designs and manufactures prefabricated modular biodigester systems aimed at enhancing the efficiency and quality of life for small farmers. The company's biodigesters utilize anaerobic bacteria to convert manure from livestock and other organic waste into methane gas and organic fertilizer. This process not only provides farmers with biogas for cooking and heating but also generates mechanical energy for agricultural activities. By transforming waste into valuable resources, Sistema.bio enables farmers to tackle waste management issues while increasing their productivity and sustainability.

ArticoloUno promotes the employment of disadvantaged people in restaurant-related fields of work. The scope of the work was increased after the first year to include two more areas: industrial and civil cleaning, as well as municipal hall surveillance. The pandemic led to an increase in demand for cleaning jobs at the cooperative as well. Nearly half of the cooperative's workers are currently employed in the cleaning industry, which has developed into a key area for the employment of elderly people and a significant number of women.

Equa is a social cooperative that offers a wide range of services for individuals, families, and communities. Equa is thus the result of Genera and Tuttinsieme joining forces to offer even more comprehensive and quality services to the community. The cooperative is active in the Milan metropolitan area, with a particular historical presence in municipalities 7, 8, and 9, as well as in the municipalities of Assago, Buccinasco, Cesano Boscone, Cormano, Paderno Dugnano, Tradate, Bareggio, Muggiano, and Vigano.

Il Calabrone is a type A social cooperative that provides assistance to young people who are struggling so they may make autonomous and conscientious decisions. The cooperative wants to assist those who are struggling to rediscover the worth and meaning of life and to regain their independence. Il Calabrone offers various services that can be grouped into three areas: Community, Projects and Services, and Youth Policy. Regarding the Community area, the cooperative manages two residential communities in Brescia and Collebeato for the reintegration and therapy of people with addiction problems.

Il Ponte deals with social inclusion and job placement for disadvantaged people, including individuals with disabilities or social fragility. Il Ponte is a type B cooperative that aims to enable these people to acquire manual skills and abilities through experience and vocational training, in order to enable their inclusion in local businesses and make them feel like an active part of society. The cooperative’s activities include assembly, packaging, and other processing of products for third parties.

OIKOS is a social cooperative with the aim of cultivating its own vineyard and developing a new agricultural-ecological project. The goal of Oikos is to promote the social and job integration of disadvantaged people through activities that enhance individuals and respect the environment. Oikos operates in two areas: agriculture (design and maintenance of green areas, vineyard restoration, and wine production) and environment (cleaning and sanitizing environments, offices, schools, and management of ecological pitches).

CavaRei is a social innovation project that provides services for people with disabilities and social distress. CavaRei operates five facilities, offering numerous services, including two occupational therapy centers, an accredited day and residential rehabilitation center, a mental health center, a group of independent living apartments, a group home, and a center for growing and processing aromatic herbs. Today, CavaRei cares for more than 130 people and prides itself on predominantly female governance.

Area Società Cooperativa is a social enterprise specializing in the design and management of services aimed at people. The cooperative was established relatively recently, in December 2001, but its history is much more rooted in time. Already in the 1990s, the nearby Co. Ge. SS Cooperative, which has always managed services for disabled people, began to create services for minors, making use of new and specialized educators.

Kilimo Fresh Foods operates a B2B marketplace that connects smallholder farmers in rural Tanzania with various clients, including hotels, restaurants, caterers, and informal retailers in Dar es Salaam. The platform sources fresh produce, including fruits, vegetables, and dry food, allowing farmers to access reliable markets and stable prices, which helps minimize post-harvest losses and food waste. By utilizing mobile technology, Kilimo Fresh Foods ensures a dependable supply chain for its retailers, who benefit from fresher products at competitive prices. The company emphasizes data-driven approaches to enhance its technology and improve the agricultural value chain, ultimately delivering better-quality produce directly from farms to buyers.

Albergo Etico is a cooperative that deals with the employment of people with disabilities through hotel activities. The goal of the initiatives is to develop an active and dynamic pathway aimed at the full exploitation of the potential of people with disabilities, providing them with support and accompaniment to work, and helping them find the motivation they need to embark on a path of personal growth. Currently, Albergo Etico has locations in Italy, Argentina, Australia, and Albania, with further openings planned in the United States and Norway.

MunyaxEco is working in solar energy as well as energy efficiency sectors by selling and installing environmentally friendly and high-quality equipment.

WidEnergy Africa Ltd is a women-led company based in Lusaka, Zambia, focused on the distribution of clean energy solutions. The company specializes in providing solar products, including solar lamps and solar phone chargers, and is set to expand its offerings to include clean cook stoves. By adopting a pay-as-you-go model, WidEnergy Africa aims to facilitate access to renewable energy for households, thereby addressing energy needs while contributing to the reduction of deforestation rates in Zambia, which are among the highest in Africa.

La Differenza is a social cooperative that deals with job placement for people with disabilities or socially fragile people. The cooperative also deals with accessible tourism for people with disabilities and social communication through the “Rotellando” project. Priority goals of the cooperative include promoting accessible tourism, catering, and communication, as well as the employment of underprivileged individuals through recruitment, training internships, and social inclusion pathways, as well as the promotion of independent living and mobility for people with disabilities.

Gea is a social cooperative that manages apartment groups and micro-residential activities for adults with psycho-intellectual disabilities. The GEA cooperative operates with a view to networking and collaboration with the realities of the territory, both with those that deal purely with disabilities and with those that operate in other areas, always related to social contexts. GEA has distinguished itself in the panorama of its territory by carrying out intense awareness-raising activities aimed at breaking down the social stigma that has always been held against mental disability and psychiatric suffering.

ZeroPerCento is a cooperative that focuses on the employment of people with intellectual disabilities. It offers frail people a real job and teaches a trade, helps them grow and become independent, gives responsibility and demands commitment and perseverance, creates ad hoc pathways, supports active job search, and prepares for interviews.

Alborea is a cooperative society of social solidarity able to offer excellent service in the catering sector. With a team of professionals in the sector, it operates in the market, carrying out consultancy, catering, banqueting, and important projects for collective catering. Through the management of catering services, Alborea deals with the re-employment of male and female inmates from Brescia’s two prison systems, to whom it wants to offer – just as the Cooperative’s name says – a new “dawn” (“Alba” in Italian) and an opportunity to start again.

Ecodudu is a Nairobi-based company that specializes in recycling organic waste materials into high-protein animal feed and organic fertilizer through the use of the black soldier fly. Founded in 2016, the company addresses critical global challenges such as waste management, the increasing demand for protein, and environmental sustainability. Ecodudu provides waste collection services and produces products like dundu meal, which is suitable for poultry, fish, and amphibians, as well as shamba mix, an organic fertilizer that enhances plant growth. By utilizing insects as natural recycling agents, Ecodudu aims to convert food and organic waste into nutritious biomass, thereby supporting farmers in boosting production with chemical-free agricultural inputs.

La Rete is a type A social cooperative that orients all its activities to coexistence without exclusions, the contrast of situations of discomfort, the promotion of rights, and the growth of an increasingly welcoming and responsible community, hinged on principles of equity, solidarity, and respect for legality. La Rete cooperative has initiated the expansion and integration of social agriculture AGROMANIA (https://agromania.bio/) through the promotion of ORTOCICLO (https://www.ortociclo.it/), a project that presents an “agroecological model of inclusion” created to stimulate the environmental recovery of uncultivated land through the development of agricultural activities involving disadvantaged people and the management of a home distribution chain of agricultural products, starting with products coming precisely from organic agricultural crops, through an eco-sustainable distribution platform: cargo bikes.

Mygrants is an educational online platform designed to support refugees and asylum seekers in Italy and across Europe. It aims to empower migrants by providing training courses that utilize microlearning techniques. The platform offers thematic quiz modules in three languages, delivering essential information, guidance, and legal assistance to users throughout the various stages of the asylum process. By focusing on accessible education, Mygrants plays a crucial role in helping migrants navigate their challenges and integrate into their new environments.

Lifeed is a digital learning platform focused on enhancing employees' professional growth by leveraging their life transitions. The platform offers training and communication resources, a hub for experience sharing, and a dashboard tracking employee experiences. By employing a strength-based approach, Lifeed's method illustrates how personal life events can be transformed into opportunities for professional development, particularly benefiting parents, caregivers, and individuals undergoing transitions. This approach aims to reduce stress and boost career performance. Since its inception in 2015, Lifeed has collaborated with over 80 companies and is currently being piloted in 23 countries and 218 cities across the USA, Europe, Southeast Asia, and Australia. With over 20,000 participants, the program has demonstrated the potential to enhance soft skills by up to 35%.

PROGETTO QUID is an Italian fashion brand that creates limited-edition collections of clothes and accessories. High-end textiles given by famous Italian fashion brands are recovered by QUID after being otherwise wasted. These textiles are then transformed into gorgeous collections by QUID designers using artisans with problematic pasts.

KadAfrica is a business focused on empowering local communities, particularly girls, by providing them with essential resources and training in agriculture. The company offers curriculum-based and hands-on training, access to land, quality seedlings, and agro-inputs. Additionally, KadAfrica provides technical support, bulk transport services, and a ready market for agricultural products. By fostering cooperative support and savings schemes, the organization aims to enhance the financial stability of local farmers. KadAfrica's initiatives are designed to equip individuals with the knowledge and skills necessary to become economic drivers in their communities, ultimately generating employment and fostering sustainable development.

Devergy is a social energy utility that focuses on delivering reliable and affordable electricity services to low-income populations in developing countries, particularly in off-grid rural villages. The company operates village-sized energy micro-grids powered by solar energy, allowing households and businesses to access electricity. By utilizing adaptive capacity and regular monitoring, Devergy ensures that its energy services are sustainable and accessible, ultimately enabling communities to benefit from affordable electricity. Based in Ghana, the company aims to improve the quality of life for its customers by providing essential energy solutions.

Sudiksha Knowledge Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is a social entrepreneurship initiative focused on enhancing educational standards in India. The organization operates schools aimed at providing affordable preschool education to underprivileged children. By employing innovative teaching methods and a holistic curriculum, Sudiksha emphasizes the development of essential cognitive, social, and linguistic skills during the formative years of its students. Additionally, the company functions as a social laboratory, engaging in the design, training, and research of various educational facets, thus contributing to a broader revolution in the quality of school education in the country.

Ignite Holding Company Inc. was a technology startup that provided prepaid solar power in off-grid communities in Guatemala and Colombia under the Kingo tradename. Ignite was acquired in 2022 by Kingo Holding Company, Inc.

The Boond mission is to solve some of the biggest global challenges - adequate lighting, access to clean drinking water and pest control affecting the remote areas of the world. Through its innovative environment friendly products and sustainable business oriented approach. The Boond team is highly motivated and well trained by SELCO and IIM-Ahmedabad Center for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship and comprises mostly of local resources.

The Boond mission is to solve some of the biggest global challenges - adequate lighting, access to clean drinking water and pest control affecting the remote areas of the world. Through its innovative environment friendly products and sustainable business oriented approach. The Boond team is highly motivated and well trained by SELCO and IIM-Ahmedabad Center for Innovation Incubation and Entrepreneurship and comprises mostly of local resources.

Purefresh is a water distribution company that filters natural water through reverse osmosis before distributing it. Established in 2011 as a result of the founders' personal need for clean water at a pocket-friendly price, a sentiment they quickly realized was shared by other members of their community.

AFRIpads Ltd. is a social business based in Kampala, Uganda, that specializes in the manufacturing and supply of reusable sanitary pads. Founded in 2010, the company aims to empower women and girls by providing a cost-effective and eco-friendly solution for menstrual hygiene management. Its products are designed to be washable, ultra-absorbent, and comfortable, offering a hygienic alternative to traditional menstrual products. AFRIpads has expanded its reach with sales offices in Kenya and Malawi, contributing to improved menstrual health and education for women and girls in these regions.

EcoPost Limited Kenya has local labor and resources to produce an innovative product and help solve pressing socioeconomic and environmental challenges and recycles waste plastic to manufacture eco-friendly plastic lumber. For inquiries, an online inquiry form is available on their website.

E-Hands Energy is a clean energy services provider focused on harnessing solar and wind energy resources in India. Established in 2009, the company aims to deliver affordable and sustainable energy solutions to millions. E-Hands Energy offers a range of services, including the installation of rooftop and hilltop solar panels, micro-wind turbines, hybrid solar-wind systems, and rural solar lighting. To achieve its mission, the company collaborates with renewable energy manufacturers, non-governmental organizations, corporate entities, and educational and financial institutions. Through these partnerships, E-Hands Energy strives to promote access to clean green energy across the region.

Nazava Water Filters, established in 2009 and based in Cimahi, Indonesia, specializes in manufacturing ceramic water filters designed to deliver safe drinking water to both rural and urban households. The company focuses on providing affordable and efficient household water filtration solutions, allowing users to access clean water without the need for boiling or electricity. By addressing the need for safe drinking water, Nazava plays a crucial role in improving public health and enhancing the quality of life for communities across Indonesia.

Kamworks is a solar energy company focused on creating innovative products for off-grid populations in Cambodia and beyond. It has developed several solar products, including the award-winning solar light known as the MoonLight. By establishing local assembly operations, Kamworks aims to facilitate technology transfer and enhance service delivery. In Cambodia, around 10 million people lack access to the electrical grid, leading them to spend approximately $170 million annually on fossil fuels for lighting and appliances. Kamworks' solar solutions offer an affordable, clean, and safe alternative to traditional kerosene lighting and the reliance on diesel generators for battery charging. Additionally, the company provides solar energy services to various institutions, including hospitals, schools, and orphanages, further contributing to the reduction of energy poverty in the region.

Copia Global Inc. is an e-commerce company based in Nairobi, Kenya, that focuses on providing a consumer catalog order and delivery system for middle to low-income individuals in the developing world. Founded in 2013, the company leverages mobile technology and a network of local agents to facilitate access to a diverse range of quality goods at reasonable prices. Its platform enables users, including those without direct internet access, to browse products and place orders with local shopkeepers, who can then fulfill these orders and manage payments through a mobile payment system. This approach not only empowers consumers but also enhances the distribution capabilities of local businesses, making it easier for rural and peri-urban populations to access essential products conveniently.

Estufa Doña Dora specializes in the design and manufacturing of wood-saving stoves aimed at enhancing cooking efficiency for domestic use. The company produces high-efficiency wood-fired cooking devices that significantly reduce firewood consumption by up to 50 percent. These stoves are particularly beneficial for households in Guatemala that rely on wood for cooking, allowing users to heat their stoves quickly, often ready to prepare the first tortilla in just five minutes. By focusing on efficient combustion and resource conservation, Estufa Doña Dora addresses both environmental concerns and the practical needs of its customers.

Based in California, The Pachamama Coffee Cooperative of Small-Scale Coffee Producers is a unique global cooperative that is wholly-owned and controlled by small-scale coffee farmers around the world. Pachamama’s member-cooperatives represent tens of thousands of families in Peru, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Mexico and Ethiopia. Buying organic coffee directly from farmers means better coffee for you, a better life for the farm family and a healthier environment for us all. Pachamama distributes freshly roasted coffee web-direct and wholesale to select retailers. 100% of profit are paid to our farmer-owners, whose best organic coffee is roasted in small batches in California. If you would like to learn more about Pachamama, please email info(at)pacha.coop, or give us a call at (530) 204-7554. Gracias. Visit our new coffee gallery & factory store at 919 20th Street in Sacramento, California.

Sustaintech specializes in the production of environmentally-friendly and fuel-efficient cookstoves designed for street food vendors and community kitchens. These smokeless stoves not only create healthier working environments but also enable users to achieve significant cost savings by reducing fuel consumption. As an offshoot of TIDE, a non-profit focused on sustainable development through technological innovation, Sustaintech aims to promote the rapid adoption of sustainable energy-related technologies. The company’s cookstoves accommodate various cooking tasks and fuel types, aligning with current environmental trends and consumer needs, thereby fostering sustainability in both commercial and household settings.

A Social Enterprise In Pursuit Of Sustainable Rural Energy Products (Energy Efficient Cooking Stoves, Water Conservation, Vegetable Oil Fuels)

Iwokrama is an international not-for-profit organization that preserves an endangered biodiverse forest. It is governed by an International Board of Trustees and managed by a professional team of around seventy permanent staff in Georgetown and at the Iwokrama River Lodge and Research Centre at Kurupukari.