15
program involves nearly half of the 150,000
acres ( 60,703 hectares) of cacao planted in
the country. The goal is to expand not only
in San Martin but throughout the country’s
tropics. About 60 percent of Peru’s territory
is jungle.
Hiderico Bocangel, general manager of San
Martin’s Oro Verde cooperative, says Peru
is already creating a niche in the chocolate
world. “We have the perfect conditions here
to produce exceptional chocolate,” he notes.
Small producers are the basis of Oro Verde.
Started in 1999 with 56 producers, the
cooperative now has 1,201 members, and
Oro Verde has become one of the foremost
agrarian and social organizations in the
region leading to San Martin and the whole
of Peru. It markets coffee, cocoa and other
agricultural products with strict quality management and processing certified organic
where possible for added value, creating
socioeconomic welfare within the framework
of fair trade standards and respect for the
culture of the families associated.
Most of the crop production in Peru is done
by small family farms who have joined together for companies or who are contracted
with companies such as Candela Peru, which
manufactures goldenberry, Brazil nut and
sacha inchi products.
“The organic market in the U.S. is booming
for us,” says Gaston Vizcarra of Candela.
“We would like to expand our value-added
product to the U.S., but it’s like a big rock
in the shoe – trying to bring value-added
product into the market. We shape ourselves
to the needs of our customers. My mission
right now is to keep this organization going
and growing.”
While he explains his story, Vizcarra holds
out sacha inchi seeds in his hand, little
turtle shell seeds or nuts that come from
a flower-shaped pod. In Peru, they’re making
cooking oils as well as featuring the seed
itself as a snack. Sacha inchi seeds (also
known as the Inca peanut) are processed
into an oil that is valued as a nutritional
supplement because it contains a high
concentration of polyunsaturated fatty
acids, making it an excellent source for
omega- 3 (alpha linolenic acid) and omega-
6 (linoleic acid). It contains no cholesterol.
Now the folks harvesting sacha inchi are
marketing the healthy little nut as a snack.
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