Are you aware of the impressive health benefits of coconut sugar? In recent years, coconut sugar has become a popular alternative sweetener, given the concern regarding the increased use of synthetic sugars and high-fructose corn syrup in so many foods. However, before you add this natural sweetener to your diet, it is important to understand where it comes from, how to use it, and the potential benefits it can have on your health.
Chile has made an exceptional effort to be a key player in the international agricultural market. Dehydrated apples are an example of this hard and successful work. Its 2019 crop is expected to be of normal quality, although the harvest of early varieties especially Gala, has had fruits of smaller size. Chile is focusing on high-middle and high-quality segments.
We recently returned from the official opening of our partner Hylea’s new brazil nut processing facility in the village of Fortaleza, Bolivia. We were most impressed by the scale and vision of this project . Hylea have built a modern European standard facility , where the focus is on producing a sustainable end product of exceptional quality. The strategic location in the heart of the collecting area means transport into the factory is not ever an issue, unlike facilities in Riberalta where water levels play a big influence in production scheduling. Furthermore, being closer to the collecting area has advantages in that transport time to the factory is minimized which has a big influence on aflaotoxin levels as the longer the kernels are held in damp/moist conditions prior to processing has a massive impact on the end toxin levels.
Two weeks ago we visited quinoa farmers in the region of Uyuni, Bolivia. The quinoa market remains unpredictable and volatile, so it was a good moment to talk to farmers and get the latest information about the new crop. Demand has picked-up significantly in the past few weeks, which put some pressure on prices. This could eventually encourage farmers to speculate and push prices upwards.
