Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV announced the launch of Bimbo Open Door, a business accelerator to invest in Latin American bakery and snacks projects that align with at least one of the three pillars of the company’s sustainability strategy.  

“Bimbo Open Door focuses on seeking, developing, and investing in startups and scale-ups in the bakery and snacks sector, whose projects stand out for their innovative value propositions, sustainable practices, and business model, among others,” the company said.

“We are a global company born in Mexico more than 76 years ago as a small company,” said Raúl Obregón, global director of information and transformation at Grupo Bimbo. “This time has allowed us to learn and capitalize on many lessons we are excited to share with the youngest. With Bimbo Open Door, we want to become an engine for the entrepreneurial ecosystem, where we put into practice models of shared success that promote new talents and their great ideas. We are sure they will revolutionize the food industry.”

Participation in Bimbo Open Door will require companies to have a product validated by Bimbo, annual sales over $300,000 and availability to participate in the program. In addition, the company said applicants must be aligned with at least one of the three pillars in its sustainability strategy.

Those startups and scale-ups the company selects as finalists will enter a 16-week hybrid program where they will receive mentoring from Bimbo executives and managers, as well as the opportunity to get to know the bakeries and innovation centers in the company while working on their projects. In the final stage of the program, finalists will present the results of their work to a forum of company executives, Bimbo said.

The company announced it is accepting registrations through Bimbo Open Door until Aug. 22. Bimbo said it designed Bimbo Open Door to reach more than 20 countries in the Latin America region, including Mexico, Colombia, Chile and Argentina.