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From the highlands of Cundinamarca and Boyaca, where they are mainly grown, they are transported to Zipaquira. There they are transformed and packaged as a healthy snack. Colombian cape gooseberries travel all the way to Australia, passing through the United States, Canada and some European countries.
That is the route that Terrafertil' s dried fruits take. This is a Colombian company based in Zipaquira (Cundinamarca) whose history began with an alliance developed with agricultural workers in the region seven years ago.
In its beginnings, the company' s CEO Hugo Quiroga said, " You all plant the cape gooseberries, and I' ll buy them."
Today, they produce close to 20 tons of dried cape gooseberries a week and they export to 30 countries. Among the new countries to which they export are China, Japan and the United Arab Emirates.
Also, they employ 40 single mothers, as well as providers, all small farms, in Ventaquemada, Arcabuco and Cienaga in Boyaca, and in Tabio, Tenjo and Zipaquira in Cundinamarca.
This company exemplifies the process Colombian companies have to go through to shoot for and successful gain foreign trade. They follow two fundamental mottoes: always ensure quality and persevere.
The results came after years of showing the cape gooseberry around the world, participating in international fairs and business forums together with PROCOLOMBIA, introducing its nutritional value and different preparations.
" In 2011, we went to PROCOLOMBIA because some European countries didn' t know how to prepare it or what it was good for. We figured out that we had to advertise it as a super fruit because of its nutritional value," explained Quiroga.
" This is a sample of the association between producers who come together to take advantage of a product' s potential, in this case the cape gooseberry, in international markets and industries such as pastries that use it as an exotic fruit," stated the president of PROCOLOMBIA, Maria Claudia Lacouture.
The company still sends samples to different potential clients, allowing them to ensure their product is even more well known in other markets.
Additionally, they received the HACCP certification in February 2012, and in August they received the BRC certification. These are indispensable in markets such as Europe and the US.
" We' ve really focused on maintaining a quality system that ensures our product can compete globally with anyone. It is best not to wait for someone to require a better quality but to set that higher standard for yourself," stated Quiroga.
This helped them harvest their most recent success. The company was able to place its products in 250 Holland and Barret stores, a British chain of health products, not just with dried fruits but also with juice, chocolate and yogurt.
