Aaron Bendfeldt

Antigua, Sacatepéquez

Aaron Bendfelt is a social entrepreneur focused on transforming Guatemala’s waste products into opportunity. After completing his degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of San Carlos, he launched Grønn as a social enterprise. Grønn gives discarded glass bottles new life: Aaron’s team of artisans cut, polish, melt, and decorate the vessels with customizable designs, resulting in functional and beautiful cups, vases, and flowerpots that each tell a story. “My inspiration to start Grønn was to create a triple bottom line business that creates impact in Guatemala. We just wanted to show people that these materials can be recycled into making new products at the same time creating economic opportunity for people in our community.”

Aaron views Grønn as a nexus of relationships. Because recycling is not formalized throughout Guatemala, he had to build a network of local bottle suppliers from scratch, working with restaurants and waste managers. He also involves the community in the creative process, hosting competitions to develop new artworks and designs for Grønn products. His primary obstacle is finding economic partners to support his growth: “As a Guatemalan entrepreneur, the biggest challenge is always funding.”

A graduate of the U.S. State Department’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative program, Aaron demonstrates how entrepreneurship, sustainability and craftsmanship can build on each other to promote development in Guatemala.