Diversifying our Portfolio in Peru: Meet brown sugar and quinoa producers CAES Piura and Quality Supplier

Shared Interest supports producers of a range of commodities with vital access to finance. The types of commodities our lending supports continues to diversify, helping us to reach and empower more producers from all corners of the globe.

In this blog, we explore how our finance is enabling two co-operatives in Peru to flourish and realise their ambitions for growth, reinforcing the role of financial services in helping farmers take advantage of the opportunities within their distinct value chains.

Meet CAES Piura: A brown sugar producer based in Piura, Peru

The Ecological and Solidarity Agricultural Cooperative of Piura (CAES Piura) is an agricultural co-operative that processes and exports organic sugarcane grown in the mountains of the Piura region of northern Peru.

CAES Piura was founded by four producer organisations in 2014. Today, the co-op supports 80 members in 11 associations. Located between 1,000 and 1,500m above sea level, the sugarcane is sown and harvested by CAES Piura’s members, then processed and exported across Europe. The product represents an increasingly important source of income for smallholder producers in the region.

CAES Piura General Manager, Elber Meza, said: 

“In general, CAES Piura operates mainly in the rural highlands of Piura, an area identified as being impoverished. This is where their processing plant is located, creating jobs for local residents, primarily women and young people, providing them with dignified employment and opportunities for growth.”

Shared Interest and CAES Piura

Shared Interest has supported CAES Piura with finance since 2019, enabling the organisation to acquire larger stocks of brown sugar from its members, contributing to improvements in their income and quality of life.

Speaking about the impact of our finance, Elber said: 

“The purpose of the Shared Interest loan is exclusively for working capital, such as the collection of raw materials and payment to each of the producers upon delivery, in a timely manner...

"...The financing will help the company and producers improve production levels and capacity, increase producers' income, create job opportunities in the area, and contribute to a better quality of life. It will also help boost sales volumes in both domestic and international markets."

What is panela?

In the UK, panela is more commonly known as brown sugar, or ‘chancaca’ in Peru. It is a natural sweetener derived from sugarcane and the main difference from white sugar is that there is no refining and no chemicals are added.

The finished product is widely used in the food industry for its nutritional and health benefits. Shared Interest customer and Peruvian panela producer, CAES Piura, sells brown sugar wholesale (25kg and 30kg batches) and retail (1kg and 0.5kg).

How is brown sugar produced? 

This is how CAES Piura produces brown sugar in the heart of Peru.

1. First, the sugarcane is cut and transported to a processing centre for milling and then for extraction of the ‘guarapo’ (sugarcane juice). After, it is allowed to cool, mixing until it solidifies into small grains of brown sugar.
   
2. Once extracted, filtered and decanted, the guarapo undergoes a thermal process, losing water by evaporation up to the optimum point. Once the panela has been processed, it is transported to a finished product centre in Montero.
   
   
3. Here, technical teams perform quality control and sift the sugar to eliminate any impurities. Panela from different areas varies in humidity and colour percentage, so it is mixed to achieve a homogeneous product. It is then packaged and stored, generating a stock to meet regular orders. Finally, the packed product is transported to the Port of Paita for shipping.

Did you know?

Sugarcane production in Peru is expected to grow to 1.3 million metric tons in 2025 (increasing 14% from 2024). 

Invest with us and support producers like CAES Piura, enabling them to grow and strengthen the livelihoods of farmers in Peru. 

Quality Supplier: A quinoa and chia seeds producer based in Puno, Peru.

Situated on Lake Titicaca, one of South America's largest lakes and the world's highest navigable waterway, lie some of Peru’s most disadvantaged communities, where farmers are dependent on agriculture for their livelihood.

This region is also home to Quality Supplier Foods (Quality Supplier). Founded in 2020, Quality Supplier provides an opportunity for these communities to improve their income through the sale of quinoa, fava beans and other indigenous seeds and grains.

Shared Interest and Quality Supplier

Earlier this year, Quality Supplier approached Shared Interest for finance to support them to purchase higher volumes of quinoa and gain a more competitive price for farmers.

Speaking about the impact of the finance, Quality Supplier CEO, Gonzalo Yesang Merino, said:

“Shared Interest helps us continue to expand our reach and the commitment we have to the development of farmers in the education and quality of life in their families."

Producing Chia Seeds and Quinoa

Quality Supplier produce high quality products such as quinoa, chia seeds and fava beans, further highlighting the growing diversity of our commodity portfolio. 

Peru's grain industry at a glance:

• Peru is the largest producer of quinoa worldwide.
• Peru is one of the top 10 producing countries of chia seeds.
• Andean grain exports surged by 42.5% in early 2024, signalling strong demand.

What is quinoa?

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah) is the seed of the Chenopodium quinoa plant. Quinoa is an ancient South American grain, first grown for food 7,000 years ago in the Andes. The Incas called it “the mother grain” and believed it was sacred.

Quinoa was largely unknown to the rest of the world, until fairly recently. Since then, it has experienced a huge surge in popularity because of its high nutrient content and health benefits. In fact, the year 2013 was named “The International Year of Quinoa” by the UN, because of its valuable qualities and potential to fight world hunger.

Quinoa is grown in a variety of zones throughout Peru's 'altiplano' (English: 'high plain'), a famous area of land extending between Lake Titicaca in southern Peru, to Lake Poopo in Bolivia - covering a distance of 600 miles and an average altitude of 12,000 feet.

How is Quinoa Produced?

To produce quinoa, seeds are planted in harrowed and fertilised soil towards the end of the summer season.

90–120 days after planting, when the leaves have fallen off and only dried seed heads remain, quinoa is ready to harvest - traditionally, by hand.

The seeds are then separated from the husks by rolling the seed pods with medium pressure on a large flat stone placed on top of a blanket. The seeds are then tossed into the air with the blanket to blow the husks away. The crop is brought back to the farm and rapidly dried to preserve quality.

What is chia?

Chia seeds are the edible seeds of Salvia hispanica, a flowering plant in the mint family native to Mexico and Guatemala. It was an important crop for pre-Columbian Aztecs and other Mesoamerican Indian cultures.

Chia is mainly used in the food industry because it is a good source of omega-3, fatty acid, protein and fibre, making it an ideal food for improving cardiovascular, digestive and bone health. It can be consumed directly (raw or cooked) or through its derivatives, such as flour, oil, or beverage.

Chia seeds are produced in Peru through organic farming methods by small farmers in the Cusco and Puno regions. The special weather of the Cusco region allows for the organic growth of chia seeds.

How are Chia Seeds produced?

To produce chia seeds, the seeds are propagated from seeds or seedlings. Once planted and covered in soil, following regular watering, the seeds will sprout within 7 to 10 days.

After about three months, the chia plants will flower. The flowers can be pollinated by insects or by self-pollination. The small chia seeds will form in the heads of the flowers, and the farmers then harvest the crop using organic production systems.

Invest with us and support producers like Quality Supplier, enabling them to grow, create thriving communities and strengthen the livelihoods of farmers.