About us

Our Story

The Regional Impact Trade Alliance (RITA) can trace its beginnings to “COVID-19” conversations in late 2020, when Matt Sykes, Rafael Kemelmajer and Pedro Tarak began comparing the impact innovation ecosystems of Melbourne (Australia) and Mendoza (Argentina). 

In November 2021, an online pilot inter-regional Impact Trade Roundtable was held between leaders in Mendoza and Melbourne around the themes of Water, Waste and Wine. In June 2022, they participated in inter-regional meetings at Stockholm+50 (hosted by Nille Skalts), and then at the Impact Trade gathering in Sansepolcro (Italy) co-hosted with Aboca (Healthcare product B Corp) and Sistema B led to the formation of a first Global Working Group.

In April 2023, leaders from Copenhagen, Umbria, Uruguay, Rio de Janeiro, Parana Delta, Florianopolis, Mendoza and Melbourne, gathered in Mendoza, Argentina, for a week of strategic workshops (with virtual participation from Tel Aviv).

In October 2023, RITA was registered as a legal non-profit organisation in Melbourne, Australia.

Activities 2024: RITA made public presentations across four continents, led preparatory workshops in Spain, and kickstarted preparations for the first Iberoamerican Gathering of Regions and Collaborative Trade in Mendoza for June 2025. 

Activities 2025: In 2025, RITA advanced sustainability models with Beta Fund, activated a volunteer team in Paris, and held preparatory workshops in Brazil at the Reconcavo de Guanabara, Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba with Fundação O Boticário, and in Grece, in Andros, with Impact Hub Athens. Efforts focused on engaging funding and technical partners and preparing the Iberoamerican Gathering to facilitate draft proposals on regional standards, governance, and on economic model for RITA triggering 3 ongoing working groups and joint plenaries. new working groups on the trade mark Regional Impact of Origin (RIO), independent verification systems and on regional sustainable competitiveness index have been opened.

In the meantime, inter regional collaborations for the common good have started through investments and product sourcing (ie. ABOCA - Sinal do Vale), universities building combined micro credential offers or exploratory dialogues among  industrial clusters. In addition,  some regions approved multi stakeholder agreements engaged in RITA journeys (Mar de Cortes in Mexico, Maule in Chile and the Atlantic Pampa in Mar del Plata- Balcarce).