Francisco Mejia

2014 - 2015

Alumni

Legatum Fellow

From:

Ecuador

Sector:

Agriculture

Location:

Ecuador

Degree:

MBA, Sloan School of Management

Francisco venture develops quinoa-based products from Ecuador for sale in regional and international retail chains. Its first product, Qasta, is a quinoa-based pasta targeted at endurance athletes. It takes advantage of quinoa’s nutritional value, which includes higher protein content, vitamins, and lower fat, and its popularity among “super foods.” The venture captures an additional stage in the quinoa value chain for producers in Ecuador and supplies consumers in developed markets with healthy and sustainably sourced foods. Qasta works directly with farmers growing quinoa in the Ecuadorian highlands. This ensures a higher income for farmers while also lowering Qasta’s production costs, bypassing middlemen’s hefty fees. Qasta targets a specific section of the population that combines office work with demanding athletic activities such as cycling, marathons, triathlons, Cross-Fit, and mountaineering. Qasta is a powerful and delicious alternative to plain pasta.

Francisco has a professional background in humanitarian interventions and small business development. He worked for seven years for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where he designed and oversaw the implementation of income generation activities and micro-credit programs. He also supervised health and education projects in Ecuador, Somalia, the Dominican Republic, and Myanmar. Francisco is also an avid mountain climber, having summited most of the peaks above 4,200 m (14,000 feet) in Ecuador and having climbed Aconcagua in Argentina and Kilimanjaro in Tanzania.

Francisco holds a Bachelor’s in Economics and Politics from Washington and Lee University. He is a joint MBA candidate at the Sloan School of Management and MPA in International Development candidate at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.