Celebrating International Women’s Day 2025

Celebrating International Women’s Day 2025 with Ginnel Ozaeta

Across ASR Group, we marked International Women’s Day 2025 with a celebration of women working at our Company, hearing from speakers from different parts of the business who shared their personal stories and accomplishments.

One speaker was Ginnel Nicole Ozaeta, a sugarcane farmer and employee of the Progressive Sugar Cane Producers Association, a Fairtrade certified producer association in Belize, where we purchase our raw cane sugar.

We hear from Ginnel who, whether working as programme director at The Progressive Sugar Cane Producers or in the fields, embraces every challenge and proves that women belong in every space.

“I am Ginnel Nicole Ozaeta, the eldest daughter of Salvador Ozaeta and Guadalupe Carballo. I am honoured to share my story on this special occasion—International Women’s Day, a time to celebrate the strength, resilience, and achievements of women everywhere.

From birth, I was challenging expectations. As the first-born grandchild in a family rooted in sugarcane farming, tradition questioned where the legacy would go. Growing up, I was never confined by gender roles. In my household, both my parents cooked, cleaned, and worked hard as entrepreneurs. By age 15, I could make flour tortillas, change a vehicle tire, and excel in school—because my father always reminded me that education was my “real job.”

Despite traditions that saw cane farming as a man’s world, I found myself drawn to it. As a child, I would ride in the box of our cane truck, looking out over the sea of green fields. My grandfather would say the rain meant “the dollars were growing.” Years later, I stand in those same fields—not just as a farmer’s daughter, but as a farmer myself, managing cane fields.

A first-generation college graduate, I hold a degree in Environmental Engineering and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Pesticide Risk Management—fields dominated by men. I lost my father in 2021 and my grandfather soon after. With no roadmap left behind, I now walk the fields they once did, honouring their legacy through hard work and determination.

During the week, I serve as the Program Director of the Progressive Sugar Cane Producers; on weekends, I’m in the fields. With the support of BSI-ASR’s Cane Growers Program and tools like SMARTGROW, I run our LLP, Saving Grace, ensuring my mother and siblings share in this legacy.

Madam C.J. Walker once said, “If I have accomplished anything in life, it is because I have been willing to work hard.” That resonates with me because, whether a blessing or a curse, I love to work.

I am Ginnel Nicole Ozaeta, and every day, I challenge gender stereotypes, discrimination, and bias – not just today on International Women’s Day, but every day.

Happy International Women’s Day!”