Ready for a trip back in time? Let's remember the incredible moments of 2024. Remember when we started the year celebrating our fifth anniversary? It feels like yesterday. What a year it's been: we've grown, learned and evolved in ways we never imagined.
A trip around the region
From Puerto Rico to Paraguay, we expanded into new countries, reaching exactly 17 and taking our pest control solutions to every corner. I especially remember our trip to Panama, where we were welcomed with open arms.
- April: Puerto Rico, country #14
- May: Venezuela, #15
- June: Paraguay, #16
- December: Nicaragua, #17
Our star events
This year we took part in 10 international events across Latin America:
- May, Guatemala: GUATEPLAGAS. Guatemala welcomed us with open arms. The atmosphere was positive and full of energy, like a big family sharing experiences and knowledge. And the local food was delicious.
- May, Argentina: CHEMOTÉCNICAS. Argentinians are warm people who made us feel at home. We were pleasantly surprised by how many people came to our booth to pose with Musmus, our mascot, and showed genuine interest in our solutions. And the wine!
- May, Mexico: Food Safety congress. Cancún was the perfect place to relax and do business. The congress was well organized and we met many food industry professionals, and reconnected with old friends and loyal users. Their honest feedback on Rupipest filled us with energy.
- June, Mexico: 40th ANPUAC International Pest Controllers Congress. Held in Puebla, where our users covered for our CEO, who couldn't travel for health reasons. That generous support from business owners shows how close the Rupipest team is to its users.
- July, Peru: Perú Plagas. Returning to the university where it all began, now as a business owner, was a dream come true. We also named Gerardo Amezcua, a loyal user and friend, "Rupipest Ambassador in Mexico." And our prize wheel was a huge hit.
- August, Mexico and Brazil: ACPUB and EXPOPRAG. Both events were a success. We met many people passionate about pest control and saw strong interest in our software in a new market, opening opportunities and partnerships.
- September, Panama: APCP. It was great to meet so many colleagues from the region, share experiences and hear ongoing feedback on how to improve the platform.
- October, Mexico: EXPO CONTROL by CESAC. What an adventure. Days before the event, Hurricane Milton put us to the test, but we adapted and delivered a great presentation. It brought us even closer as a team.
- October, Peru: Fuminsumos congress at UNMSM. An honor to share with industry colleagues in our home country. I gave a talk on "Artificial intelligence in pest control," exploring where the industry is headed and how technology like ours helps companies become more efficient and sustainable.
- November, Peru: Expo Food Tech, food safety and pest control. To close the year, this event highlighted the key link between pest control and food safety. A highlight was our special guest Gerardo Amezcua's talk on "Pests and food safety."
Our talks: a space to share knowledge
This year our RupiConversatorios became a meeting point for industry professionals. We held 14 sessions, from biosecurity on poultry farms to forensic entomology. Remember the one on urban cockroaches, debunking myths and learning to fight them effectively? And our first RupiTaller workshop, where clients loved the platform's new tools?
Here's the list with links to the recordings (in Spanish):
- Jan 18: Biosecurity on poultry farms, with Dr. Aleksander Vera
- Feb 1: Stored grain pest control, with Martín Ramírez Falcón
- Feb 15: Heat treatment for wood-boring insects and subterranean termite detection and control, with Gustavo Navarrete Briones
- Mar 7: Ozone in the food industry, with Martín Ramírez Falcón
- Mar 21: Bed bugs, inspection and control, with Jorge Bedoya ACE, PCQI
- Apr 4: The life and work of urban cockroaches, with biologist Julio Estrada Álvarez and Hugo Ponce, MSc
- Apr 18: Bird deterrence and improvement opportunities, with Alejandro García Pavía
- May 23: Rational management of urban mosquito vectors, with Guillermo Tarelli
- Jun 27: Continuous improvement through information, with Gerardo Amezcua
- Aug 29: From zero to success, the pest controller's path, with Javier Morales
- Sep 26: A plant-health approach to green areas and gardens, with Ignacio Martínez
- Nov 7: Cost structure in a pest control company, with Mauricio Raya
- Dec 19: Forensic entomology, with Anselmo García Zambrano
- Dec 28: First RupiTaller, practical cases using the platform
Constant innovation
Beyond events and talks, we worked hard on the platform: more than 100 improvements in a single year, from new features to a more intuitive interface. And who could forget June, when we processed our first cryptocurrency transaction?
We also passed 2 million inspections. At the time of writing:
- 2,205,195 inspections
- 158,944 control points registered
- 28,328 sites registered
It took us five years to pass one million inspections (November 2023), and just one more year (November 2024) to pass two million. 💪
What's next?
2025 promises to be even more exciting. We're working on new projects and features across the platform and the app, and new languages 👀. Here are some of this year's highlights:
Conclusion
2024 has been an incredible year, and we want to thank all our clients and our team for making it possible. Together we're building the future of pest control, a future full of digital transformation. See you next year 🤩
