Educar Consumidores

What Educar Consumidores does

Educar Consumidores (legal name Asociación Colombiana de Educación al Consumidor) is a Colombian nonprofit civil society organization founded in 2008 and headquartered in Bogotá. It operates as a community-led consumer advocacy and public-health organization with a staff of six, coordinating a coalition of more than 50 partner organizations to drive policy advocacy on food health, tobacco control, breastfeeding protection, climate change, road safety, and broader consumer rights in Colombia. Its programmatic areas include Ciudadanía Alimentaria, Consumo Consciente, Control del Tabaco, Lactancia Materna, Cambio Climático, and Seguridad Vial, each anchored in research-driven policy proposals delivered to the Colombian Congress, the Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social, and local governments.

The organization's work product consists of six categories: (i) ongoing programs and campaigns such as Tómala en Serio and La Villana Azucarada advocating a sugary-beverage tax, (ii) primary and secondary research including fiscal impact, morbidity and mortality, and product composition studies used in congressional debates, (iii) strategic litigation — notably the tutela action that produced Constitutional Court ruling T-358 of 2018 against SIC censorship, (iv) publications including the breastfeeding manual, the Big Tobacco Tiny Targets Colombia report, and Code-compliance monitoring reports in Colombian clinics and hospitals, (v) community pedagogy and learning communities, and (vi) coalition management for the Alianza por la Salud Alimentaria (ASA, 30+ organizations) and the Bancada por la Salud Pública (43 congressistas). Underlying technology is a standard digital publishing stack (website, email newsletter, YouTube, X, Facebook, Instagram, SoundCloud), used as a free public distribution channel rather than a commercial product.

The business model is donation-funded and operates without paid products or services. All campaigns, publications, and educational materials are offered freely to the public, and revenue flows from donations and partner grants. The organization's go-to-market is community-led and coalition-driven: citizen mobilization, advocacy with Congress and ministries, strategic litigation, and public communications rather than a sales funnel. Customers in the conventional sense are Colombian citizens, partner civil society organizations, and Colombian governmental institutions (Congress and ministries); outcomes are measured in policy wins (e.g., inclusion of a 20% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in the 2018 Ley de Financiamiento) rather than financial returns.

Name

Educar Consumidores

Legal name

Asociación Colombiana de Educación al Consumidor

Website

https://educarconsumidores.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Educar Consumidores is a Colombian nonprofit (Asociación) founded in 2008 that advocates for consumer rights, healthy food policy, tobacco control, breastfeeding protection, climate, and road safety, serving Colombian citizens, a coalition of 50+ civil society organizations, and government institutions through research, litigation, and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Consumer Advocacy and Public Health Policy

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGALAH

Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Enterprises & Impact Organizations

SECONDARYBPAGABAE

Education Access & Quality (International Development)

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/International Development & Poverty Alleviation

SECONDARYEDAAAFAG

Health Promotion & Public Health Education (Community Workshops)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Community & Public Education Programs (Libraries, Community Centers)

Keywords

• Consumer advocacy
• Public health policy
• Tobacco control
• Breastfeeding promotion
• Food labeling reform

Headquarters

HQ city

Bogotá

HQ country

Colombia

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Donations: The organization relies on donations from supporters and partner organizations to fund its advocacy, research, and public education activities on consumer health, food policy, and tobacco control in Colombia.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Educar Consumidores is a Colombian nonprofit association (Asociación Colombiana de Educación al Consumidor) that conducts consumer education, evidence-based research, and policy advocacy on food health, tobacco control, breastfeeding protection, climate change, and road safety. It coordinates a coalition of more than 50 civil society organizations and engages directly with the Colombian Congress, ministries, and local governments to advance public health legislation such as front-of-package warning labels, sugar-sweetened beverage taxes, and restrictions on junk food advertising.

Product overview

Educar Consumidores is a Colombian consumer education NGO (Asociación Colombiana de Educación al Consumidor) operating as a non-profit organization rather than a commercial technology product. The organization does not offer a unified software platform but rather conducts advocacy, research, and educational campaigns across multiple public health areas. Its portfolio includes programs on food citizenship (Ciudadania Alimentaria), conscious consumption, tobacco control, breastfeeding promotion, climate change, and road safety. The organization produces publications including manuals, monitoring reports, and research studies. Key projects include childhood nutrition programs, public policy advocacy for front-of-package labeling and sugary drink taxes, and tobacco control surveillance. Campaigns include Tómala en Serio, La Villana Azucarada, and the Big Tobacco Tiny Targets international campaign. The organization's work methodology includes policy advocacy, research, strategic litigation, pedagogy, public participation, and communications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Alianza por la Salud Alimentaria (ASA): Alliance for Food Health - coalition of more than 30 national and local organizations working on healthy food processes
• Tómala en Serio
• La Villana

Products and services

• Ciudadanía Alimentaria (Food Citizenship Program) Program addressing food health, chronic non-communicable diseases, and sustainable food systems from seed to plate, targeted at Colombian citizens, families, and partner civil society organizations.
• Consumo Consciente (Conscious Consumption Program) Consumer awareness initiative on consumer rights and responsible consumption practices for the general Colombian public.
• Control del Tabaco (Tobacco Control Program) Program covering tobacco surveillance, monitoring of new nicotine devices, citizen oversight (veeduría ciudadana), and public policy advocacy aimed at Colombian citizens and policymakers.
• Lactancia Materna (Breastfeeding Promotion Program)

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully advocated for the inclusion of a 20% tax on sugar-sweetened beverages in Colombia's Ley de Financiamiento (2018), generating estimated revenue of ~$480 million USD per year and projected to reduce consumption by ~20%.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and moderate.

• FACUA (Facultad Consumers en Acción)minorOthersSpanish consumer organization FACUA appears alongside Educar Consumidores as a partner organization, sharing consumer advocacy mission and campaign alignment on food health issues.
• Alianza por la Salud Alimentaria (ASA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASA is a coalition of 30+ national and local Colombian organizations working on healthy food from seed to plate, promoted by Educar Consumidores in 2016. The alliance coordinates advocacy, mobilization, and dissemination of food health research across civil society organizations including custodians of seeds, family farming groups, Afro and indigenous organizations, and food artisan producers.
• IBFAN (International Baby Food Action Network)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIBFAN is a global network that monitors compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. Educar Consumidores collaborates with IBFAN on breastfeeding monitoring reports in Colombian clinics and hospitals, and jointly developed the 'Ley Gloria Ochoa Parra' bill to protect and promote breastfeeding in Colombia.
• Bancada por la Salud PúblicacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA parliamentary caucus of 43 congressistas from multiple political parties formed to support the 'Paquete de Medidas Saludables' — six legislative bills promoted by Educar Consumidores and civil society allies covering healthy food environments, front-of-package warning labels, advertising restrictions, and sugar taxes.
• Senator Juan Luis Castro CórdobacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey political ally who co-developed the 'Ley Gloria Ochoa Parra' breastfeeding bill with IBFAN and Educar Consumidores. The Senator also coordinated the 'Paquete de Medidas Saludables' legislative package and provided forums, social media support, and parliamentary backing for healthy food policy initiatives.
• Multiple Colombian Civil Society Organizations (50+)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMore than 50 Colombian civil society organizations participate in Educar Consumidores' various campaigns including healthy food, tobacco control, breastfeeding, and environmental sustainability. This broad coalition enables wide geographic reach for advocacy campaigns throughout Colombia.
• Universidad Javeriana, Universidad de La Salle, Universidad de los Andes, Universidad de Antioquia (Escuela de Nutrición)moderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic institutions that supported Educar Consumidores' sugar tax advocacy with economic, health, and nutrition expertise. Professors provided research backing during congressional debates on the sugar-sweetened beverage tax, and an informal network of prominent economists, including Dr. Ricardo Bonilla, supported the initiative.
• Ministerio de Salud y Protección Social de ColombiamoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerColombia's Ministry of Health provided ongoing support for the organization's food health policy proposals, including sugar taxes and front-of-package labeling, during legislative debates from 2015 to 2020.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Regional players

• PROTESTE: Brazil's largest consumer advocacy organization offering product testing, legal action, and policy advocacy. Comparable in mission and Latin American consumer-protection context, though operating in a more developed market and consumer-testing-driven model.
• Dejusticia: Colombian research and advocacy center that uses constitutional litigation, research, and policy engagement to advance social and economic rights. Domestic peer with overlapping methodology (litigation + research + advocacy) and overlapping issue areas (food, health, consumer rights).
• IDEC (Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor): Brazilian consumer rights NGO engaged in litigation, policy advocacy, and public education on food, health, and consumer issues. Strong functional comparability to Educar's research-and-litigation-driven advocacy model.

Broad incumbents

• Consumers International: Global federation of more than 200 consumer advocacy organizations across 100+ countries. Broader umbrella that Educar could participate in or model coordination against, providing access to international funding and policy forums.

Direct peers

• Foodwatch: European food and health advocacy organization that campaigns against ultraprocessed food, misleading labeling, and the food industry's marketing to children. Direct functional peer with similar evidence-based advocacy and policy-facing campaign strategy.
• IBFAN (International Baby Food Action Network): Global network that monitors compliance with the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. Already an active partner of Educar on the Ley Gloria Ochoa Parra breastfeeding bill and hospital monitoring reports, making it both a peer and a collaborator.
• U.S. PIRG: US federation of consumer advocacy public interest research groups working on food safety, product safety, and consumer protection. Comparable in multi-issue consumer advocacy portfolio and grassroots research-driven campaign model.
• Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI): US-based consumer advocacy and food policy NGO that has campaigned for sugar taxes, food labeling, and trans-fat bans for decades. Closely comparable in mission, methodology (research + advocacy), and target issues (sugar, food labeling, nutrition policy).
• Corporate Accountability: International corporate accountability advocacy organization that fights corporate abuse in food, tobacco, and other public health areas. Comparable in targeting multinational industries and combining litigation, advocacy, and grassroots mobilization.
• FACUA: Spanish consumer advocacy organization focused on consumer rights, food health, and utility regulation. Already a listed partner of Educar Consumidores and is the most direct mission-aligned peer given overlapping food policy and consumer protection work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EducarConsumo
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvXdBSA8cdLe2J5JpneKpZA
• Facebookfacebook.com/EducarConsumidores
• Instagraminstagram.com/educarconsumidores
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/educarconsumidores

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Educar Consumidores