Four friends with Down syndrome in Buenos Aires got tired of being rejected from every job they applied for, so they started their own pizza catering business.

Los Perejiles Eventos now employs 15 people with Down syndrome and has catered hundreds of events across Argentina.

Mateo, Franco, Mauricio and Leandro launched the company in July 2016 after repeatedly being rejected from jobs because of their disability. The four friends, aged 19 to 24, shared a love of pizza and decided to turn that passion into a business.

The name Los Perejiles was chosen deliberately. "Perejiles" can be used as a mocking insult in Spanish, but the friends wanted to reclaim the word and put it at odds with their successful business.

From Rejection to Recognition

In Argentina, roughly 75 percent of people who are physically or intellectually disabled don't have jobs. The four friends knew their rejections were because of their Down syndrome, not their abilities.

Each founder took on specific roles in the catering operation. Mateo makes the pizzas while Leandro crafts empanadas, with Franco and Mauricio serving as servers.

Mateo even received formal training, earning his title as Master Pizzero from the school of the Association of Pizza Shop and Empanada House Owners.

Rapid Growth and Expansion

The business took off immediately. By October 2016, just three months after launching, they had organized 67 catering events around Buenos Aires and neighboring San Isidro.

In August 2016, Los Perejiles hired four new employees, all with Down syndrome. The founders wanted to create the employment opportunities for others that they had been denied.

By April 2017, they had covered more than 200 events in less than a year of operation.

Building More Than a Business

Leandro Lopez, president of Crecer Sumando, worked with the team and observed their impact firsthand. "These young people can really be included in society, and they have a whole lot to teach us," he said. "There is no envy or selfishness among them; instead, there is friendly collaboration."

The business model proved that people with Down syndrome could handle complex professional tasks. The young entrepreneurs go to clients' homes, prepare pizzas and empanadas, serve them, and leave everything spotless.

By 2020, Los Perejiles employed 15 people with Down syndrome, all seeking the economic independence and professional dignity the founders had been repeatedly denied by other employers.