High in Colombia's Andean foothills, where coffee farms have long fueled the local economy, solar energy is now powering community transformation.
One of Colombia’s largest rooftop solar projects—a 1.4 MW system on the Avo-Pak facility in La Ceja, just outside Medellín—is the result of an enterprising partnership between premier residential and commercial solar installer TERSO (Tecnología Renovable y Sostenible) and Avo-Pak, an avocado processing facility with a community-first mission.
The partnership brings together complementary expertise and aligned values. Avo-Pak Managing Partner Atta Kiarash envisioned a facility that drives meaningful social change while providing economic and environmental benefits. To achieve this vision, he needed an installer with both technical precision and deep local expertise. TERSO, a proudly Antioquian company known for high-quality solutions and local focus, proved to be the ideal partner.
The solar system includes 1,879 Enphase IQ8P-3P Microinverters and will offset 20-30% of the 90,000 square-foot facility’s energy consumption while supporting hundreds of jobs. Together, they're demonstrating the power of solar energy to drive both industrial innovation and community transformation.
Empowering the local economy
In 2024, the labor force participation rate among women in Colombia was just over 50% compared to a 75% rate among men. Avo-Pak and its team are addressing this disparity head-on by ensuring that at least 80% of their new workforce is female.
“With this facility, we’re working to expand opportunities for more people,” said Atta in a recent conversation with Enphase. “We wanted Avo-Pak to open doors for women and transform the local economy.”
He added proudly, “Today, every member of our team is a woman. As we grow, even more families here will have two incomes. That’s how we create real change.”
For Juan Pedro Jaramillo, CEO of TERSO, and his team, projects like Avo-Pak represent the kind of transformative work that drew them to solar. “Large-scale projects serve broader communities, which is very impactful,” he explained. “Each project has its own magic, and this one brings lasting benefits to people in La Ceja.”
Precision engineering meets community impact
Founded in 2017, TERSO has installed 5 MW of solar energy for more than 500 clients across the region. “We cover the entire spectrum of the renewable energy segment, from residential installations to complex industrial projects like Avo-Pak,” Juan explained. “Our team is highly skilled and deeply involved in every detail of each project, from start to finish.”
Backed by Colombia's largest construction company, Arquitectura y Concreto, TERSO combines deep construction expertise with hands-on precision engineering to deliver high-quality, long-lasting systems. The company excels at designing customized solutions across a diverse clientele.
“We transform each client's energy needs into a tailored, one-of-a-kind solution,” Juan stated. “But it doesn’t end with the installation; we build long-term relationships with our clients, prioritizing trust, reliability, and ongoing support.”
Partnership with Enphase: trust, quality, and shared values
The TERSO team and Atta (Avo-Pak Managing Partner and former solar installer) are all longtime Enphase partners, making collaboration seamless from day one.
Atta has partnered with Enphase for 15 years across projects in the U.S. and Colombia, and calls himself “a big Enphase advocate.” He notes that Enphase consistently delivers superior quality and flexibility, with responsive customer service.
“In the United States, a dedicated Enphase rep visited us monthly, and we’ve had a similarly positive experience here in Colombia,” Atta recalled. “Working with Enphase has always been seamless. In this 15-year partnership, I haven’t experienced a single issue!”
For TERSO, an eight-year partnership with Enphase means superior performance and peace of mind. “Knowing the equipment will perform reliably over time allows us to focus on future projects instead of worrying about past ones,” Juan said. “That kind of trust is invaluable.”
He added, “Our clients also benefit from Enphase’s market-leading warranties, North American manufacturing standards, and microinverter reliability.”
Bright horizons ahead
Avo-Pak is already setting its sights on expanding solar throughout their operations, including powering all its farms to move toward being off-grid, and having sustainable production. “We plan to use Enphase systems for all our farms to go off-grid,” he stated. “That way, we can reduce our environmental impact with high-quality systems that produce renewable energy.”
He also highlights Colombia’s vast solar opportunity: “Colombia offers tremendous potential for solar production due to its geographical location and abundant sun. It’s a paradise for solar installers.”
For TERSO, the future means ambitious expansion. Juan and his team plan to triple their installed capacity while expanding into new Latin American markets beyond Colombia. “We're thrilled to be part of this alliance with Avo-Pak and Enphase to build a one-of-a-kind system at the national level,” Juan noted. “It's a very important milestone."
He added, “We hope this project becomes a benchmark for well-executed solar projects in Colombia.”
Through strategic partnerships like this one, TERSO is positioning solar installations as catalysts for both energy independence and social progress, creating a blueprint for sustainable industrial development across Latin America.
