Our team
Manuel Matos Gil
Founder
“Mini” as he is known, was born in Porto, Portugal; where his grandfather Manuel Matos Gil founded the family polymer business in 1959, guided by the principle of sustainability from the beginning.
In 2002, the family launched a PET bottle recycling plant, which currently recycles up to 90% post-consumer PET in Portugal. Today more than ever, the family works to achieve a cleaner and more sustainable future, seeking solutions to the challenges facing our environment. Recycling is no longer enough, to find a global solution, we must join efforts to sensitize and inform communities about the importance of recycling and caring for the environment.
Careyes has been a special place for Mini and his family; For over 30 years, the local community has made them feel at home, so Mini decided to undertake his mission and create Sol Pacífico foundation as a gesture of reciprocity and gratitude.
Mini works for the foundation on a voluntary basis, ensuring that the objectives are met, and the maximum possible impact is achieved through transparency and good management of all the activities carried out.
Marco Peña
General Coordinator
Bachelor of Marine Biology focused on ecological conservation from the University of Guadalajara. Marco has worked in wildlife monitoring for more than 4 years in the environmental project "Rancho Don Andrés" and the feline monitoring project with the Project Jaguar organization.
Under the influence of his father; Graduated in Biology with more than 35 years of experience in sea turtle conservation projects, Marco has worked since childhood in the development of these projects.
Being a native of the area and with more than 25 years living in it, he knows the real problems and needs, both ecological and social, of the Costa Alegre.
Sofía Pelayo
Support teacher
Born in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Sofía has had a lifelong passion for animal care and environmental well-being, interests she has nurtured since childhood. Currently residing in Pueblo Careyes, she has been actively involved with various associations and foundations dedicated to creating positive societal and environmental impacts since moving to the town.
For three years, Sofía worked as an emergency assistant at Clínica Careyes. In 2015, she volunteered in the aftermath of Hurricane Patricia, helping with the collection and distribution of aid. In 2016, she relocated with her son to Melaque, where she worked at the Centro Integral para la Sociedad Nueva Esperanza (CISNE), collaborating with educators to provide extracurricular and ecological activities for children.
During the pandemic, Sofía co-founded the "Costacan" project in Arroyo Seco, a shelter for homeless dogs, while also volunteering with the Sol Pacífico Foundation.
Since 2022, she has been an active member of the Sol Pacífico team, working as a support teacher in environmental education. She designs workshops and activities to raise awareness about the circular economy and environmental stewardship in local schools and coordinates beach clean-up events.