Dina Sequeira is one dynamic woman.
Hailing from Dili, Dina is the local food entrepreneur (aka zero waste superstar) behind our first preserving hub in Timor-Leste, where she works to ensure local communities have food year-round. This is no easy task when intense wet and dry seasons mean that fresh produce is either abundant or scarce. In Timor-Leste, preserving produce when it’s available is one of the most sustainable ways to keep communities fed with nutritional food at times when farmers have nothing to harvest. That’s why Dina’s work in the Corner Store Network is so important.
The 30 year old worked in finance at large international aide agencies before setting her sights on supporting local food production, community wellbeing and female empowerment. She is passionate about providing meaningful work for women, seeing long term nutritional improvement in communities (particularly rural), reducing the country’s water problem, and promoting reusable and compostable packaging options that don’t contribute to the global waste problem.
Following a study trip in 2018 to our Melbourne preservery where she familiarised herself with our prototype hub, equipment and methods, Dina began operating Timor-Leste’s first preserving hub with her friend and colleague Nela. She now proudly employs six women who produce coconut oil, turmeric and vanilla, alongside a variety of fruits and spices - with a key focus on supporting farmers by buying and preserving locally grown produce for the local consumption
Her vision is to create a nationwide preserving program where women from other districts undertake immersive training in Dili, before taking their newfound skills back to their own communities. This will ensure women all over Timor-Leste are able to find meaningful employment while their communities get increased access to diversified local produce throughout the year.
We’re so thrilled to be working with Dina and can’t wait to see what the future holds for her.