Maca - Association of ecological maca growers of Junin

The Association of ecological maca growers of Junin consists of approximately 84 families and provides employment for in excess of 150 people during the annual sowing and harvesting of the Maca. Maca is the only species of root or tuber in the Andes that has a unique area of domestication and that is in the district of Junin between 4,100m and 4,500m above sea level. The association is certified organic by SKAL international and is also a member of the Fair Trade Federation.

In the region of Junin at its altitude above sea level organic maca is the main viable crop. As world demand for maca has increased it has helped provide a sustainable source of income for the community of Junin, which has in turn helped increase the basic standard of living for the indigenous people of the region. The growers in the association have been able to set up high quality post harvest processing equipment to be able to mill the maca into powder at the point of origin adding more value to their raw commodity. Part of the role of the association is also to make sure that all the children of the growers attend school.

It was originally domesticated by the Pumpush of Junín, a Pre-Incan culture, who have lived in the creeks of the Chinchaycocha Lake for thousands of years. Maca was and continues to be their staple food. Maca is one of the few eatable plants that grows in this area and therefore is sacred and central to the culture of the Pumpush people. Maca is an extemely hardy plant and leaves the mineral rich sedimentary soil sterile after it has been grown - all the minerals being absorbed into the maca root. They have therefore developed a unique system of agriculture to cultivate maca, where the soil is left fallow for 5 years after each crop so that it can completely regenerate. The wind and rain transport the mineral rich rock particles (high in calcite, dolomite, iron, zinc and magnesium) back into the soil.

The growers conduct special ceremonies before sowing and harvests, according to their tradition and Andean custom. They make offerings to their gods of the earth for a prosperous harvest. Then they prepare the land by :

1. Taking out the weeds and stones
2. Turning over the virgin soil that has formed as top soil since the last harvest.

The seeds are then sown, this takes place from September to December, the maca then grows for 7 to 8 months and is harvested in May the following year.

Association of cacao producers of Satipo

Satipo is a region that sits at the edge of Amazon basin at the base of the Andes mountain range. In this area we work with 4 small producer groups that are grouped under the umbrella association of cacao producers of Satipo that consists of 164 families in total. This association is certified organic by Control Union and is a member of the Fair Trade Federation, this ensures the cacao is certified organic and fairly traded. Each family has approximately 2 hectares of criollo cacao and coffee bushes grown in the understory of larger trees - mainly coconut and other forest trees. The cacao of this region is known locally as the queen of cacao due to its fine aroma and distinctive flavour that is typical of South American criollos. With the increasing demand for this quality organic cacao the association has been steadily growing introducing more producers to the organic farming methods and post harvest processing techniques. In partnership with the association we use a facility where they can process the cacao beans into licor and then cold press the licor into powder and butter. However as you have probably experienced the end product is vastly superior both in flavour and nutritional content. Due to this unique and high quality finished product the producers are able to charge a price for their product, which is significantly higher than the standard fair trade cacao price.