Tuesday, July 10, 2012

How Can I Earn Income in Belize If I am Not Retired??




Living in Belize one of the number one questions that I get asked is "How can I earn income if I move to Belize and I am not retired?".  Well sometimes, the answer can be something quite simple, with a little thought and creativity you just may come up with a great idea that can produce income.  A friend of mine Sharon with Red Roof Management, who lives on the mainland and also started several businesses in Belize met a couple on facebook who did just that. 



Below is a post from Sharon's Blog, Wealthships.

Charlotte and Chris recently moved to Ambergris Caye, Belize. Prior to that, Chris grew up in San Francisco and Charlotte went to school in Berkeley – my old stomping grounds in the States! As they were living in San Pedro, they noticed a problem all islanders face: fruits and vegetables going bad! Since produce is only delivered once or twice a week to the island, by the time the end of the week rolls around, it is very difficult to find anyone selling fruit or veggies that looked half way appetizing.


This experience sparked a memory of a product on TV back in the States. They found the company that is the exclusive manufacturer and patent holder and negotiated an exclusive distributorship for the product in Belize. Now they want to bring it to market for the Belize consumers!

Produce Genie is a sachet containing U.S. patented Power Pellets, which are designed to control ethylene gas. Fruits and vegetables naturally emit ethylene gas, which causes them to ripen really fast. Merely keeping produce in the refrigerator won’t necessarily extend the life of produce, since ethylene gas can get trapped inside, which can actually accelerate the ripening process.

Using this product is very simple. Just add one sachet in a regular refrigerator crisper. Just make sure not to let the sachet fall to the bottom of the bin to ensure its maximum effectiveness. You can also add a sachet to a fruit bowl covered by a breathable material (such as a towel). Produce Genie takes the ethylene gas out of the air to slow down the natural decay process of fruits and vegetables.


Produce Genie is very effective with popular fruits and vegetables of Belize: banana, avocado, mango, orange, papaya, apple, broccoli, lettuce, okra, bell pepper, parsley, cilantro, and tomato. Each sachet lasts for three months while it is being used. You can store unused sachets in a plastic bag to prolong the sachet’s shelf life. For $12 bze ($6 usd) you can purchase four sachets, which is a year’s supply for every refrigerator crisper or fruit bowl you have (just $1 bze per month!).
Produce Genie isn’t available in local Belizean stores yet, but they have plans to make it available in all the stores by sometime later this year. To get samples of the product, please contact Charlotte or Chris at ProduceGenie@gmail.com. To see case studies, pictures, and more, check out their fan page at http://facebook.com/ProduceGenie (and “like” their page while you’re there!). Since they can’t possibly cover the entire country of Beelize, if you feel like you would like to be involved in helping bring Produce Genie to market, please feel free to contact them, as they are actively looking for partnership opportunities.


I also like that instead of reinventing the wheel, they contacted the manufacturer directly and arranged an exclusive distributorship. Who knows how many other products are out there that you could do the same thing with? It’s just a matter of noticing what voids need to be filled. And, in the process, they are providing opportunities for others who may want to distribute the Produce Genie as well.

4 comments:

  1. Thanks for posting this, Debra! I hope Charlotte & Chris find a lot of success with this creative business idea!

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    1. You are always welcome. I hope so too, I think it is definitely needed here in Belize. I have always hated having to throw out my fruits and veggies because they went back before I could use them all.

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    2. That should be before they went bad!!

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  2. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to read my blog.

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