Peru produces 600,000 million tons of fruit from 355,000 hectares, so the country has the potential of using 160,000 tons of fruit to develop quality distillates in order to position them in specialized markets, said the CEO of Sierra Exportadora, Alfonso Velasquez Tuesta.
He said that the Peruvian National Distillates National Program of Sierra Exportadora had drawn up a map of opportunities to promote this industry, which includes 20 regions, including Lima, Junin, Pasco, Arequipa, Cajamarca, Amazonas, and Piura, among others.
Velasquez said that, between August and December of this year, there had been progress in developing distilled cane sugar and brown sugar in Piura, distilled products from sugar cane in the Lambayeque Cajamarca corridor, distilled apple, peach and pear in Lima, cocoa and orange distillates in San Martin, and sugarcane, potato, ginger, pineapple, passion fruit, coffee and citrus distillates in Junin.
"Peruvians distillates are a new business opportunity that generate added value in origin, that is, from their land, as producers can use the fruits they discard. Pisco is distilled from grape, and it currently has worldwide recognition. The distillates products we are promoting might follow this path, we have to take advantage of being a biodiverse country," he said.
He also said that the Peruvian National Distillates Program sought to promote the association between small producers in the Andean region and generate a new source of employment. In that line of thought, he said that, through said program, they planned to initially develop 20 business plans, advise 40 companies and 5 associations, and drive 15 fruits and farm products transformed in Premium spirits.
Activities in 2016
He added that the activities that they would undertake with producers in 2016 included an internship at the Center for Agroindustrial Technological Innovation in Ica, the creation of the National Association of Producers of Spirits, the development of the Distillate Festival at the Wine and Pisco Institute, and the development of the 1st National Distillate Competition.
"We will also seek to develop a competitive offer in partnership with other institutions. We will assemble the Premium distillate supply to start trading it and we will create a distillates manual for dissemination to companies and entrepreneurs in the mountains of Peru," he said.
Map of opportunities - Peruvian National Distillates Program