Meet Ainara, our Innovations Project Engineer
March 6, 2023
What do you do at Better Origin?
I am an Innovations Project Engineer, which is part of the Research Development and Innovation team. I’m responsible for the design and improvement of our product.
How did your background lead you to this role?
I studied Engineering for Industrial Technologies for my Bachelor’s degree and Project Management for my Masters. I am passionate about challenges. It’s important for me to take nothing for granted, and I question what is assumed as fact to improve processes or products and push the limits of both innovation and efficiency.
What was your initial reaction to what we do?
More than what we do, I was surprised by HOW we do it. The circular economy, the environment, fixing the food chain… these were not new concepts for me, and I was looking to work around them. But it was the first time I had met a team with such an efficient and unique idea and with such strength, conviction, and confidence.
What’s one of your favourite things about working at Better Origin?
The capacity of the team to face new and unexpected circumstances every single day. The constant challenge implies working on something that has never been done before and having to figure out how to achieve our goals, and how to reinvent ourselves. Tiredness and laziness don’t exist here. It’s a great team, couldn’t be better. And the fact that everyone is so committed to the project makes it possible.
What are you most proud to be able to work on?
I am proud to be able to work on a real solution to this massive global problem. To be able to create through our containers a stream of feed, food protein source… With only food waste as input. It makes me very proud to work on the design and constant improvement of our unique systems.
What’s something people might not know about you?
I am very smiley and cheerful and people tend to associate that with an easy life. However, I had to face several difficult situations while growing up.
Due to my persistence or stubbornness, probably both, I created my own path and worked hard to have freedom and flexibility to choose who I wanted to be, where I wanted to get to, and how to work to get there. I learned to not give up and to be flexible and adaptable. And, after five different countries, a lot of effort, time, doubts, and attempts, I can say that I am exactly where I want to be.
What inspires you?
The existence of possibility. The fact that everything is improvable, and everything can be better, awakens my inspiration. There is always a way to get to where you want to be.
The second inspiration is my team. It is extremely difficult to gather such great professionals in such a small group. Their broad minds, their knowledge and their strength inspire me every day. The fact that every failure makes them stronger, reminds me how important that is to succeed.
What does sustainability mean to you?
For me, sustainability is what measures or establishes the limits of humanity to act without damaging or endangering our existence.
Nature has its cyclical, error-free procedure, where it converts waste into useful income over and over again. And the best way not to interfere with nature is to partner with it, acting as it does.
So, for me, sustainability would be the ability to copy and apply this technique. Applying circular economy, fixing the food chain, et cetera.
