Highlight on our Colombian Host ASOPROMIELES

Asopromieles is a non-profit association of panela (raw sugar cane) producers established in 2014, which covers approximately 150 hectares. They are made up of 34 sugarcane growers and panela producers and their families, but collect and sell the panela produced by more than 140 local sugar mills in the municipalities of Apulo, Jerusalén, La Mesa and Quipile, in Cundinamarca, Colombia. Their initial goal was to solve production problems such as lack of quality, product heterogeneity, unsatisfied demand and labor shortage through the construction of a homogenizing honey plant. This honey plant is now a reality and has been operating for more than a year in the municipality of Quipile. 

Now that they have the plant, Asopromieles is focusing on growing, transforming, and marketing organic honey and panela products in a sustainable way. Their main goal is to export 50% of their production and bring together 600 local families. In 2019 they started this process by taking Good Manufacturing Practices courses, being certified by the National Institute for Food and Drug Surveillance (INVIMA) and registering under the National Department for Taxes and Customs (DIAN).

This ensured that when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, in March 2020, they already had food safety standards such as frequent handwashing (every 30 minutes) and compulsory use of masks to avoid food contamination. They bought two infrared digital thermometers to start controlling the temperature of their staff and divided their 16 workers into two shifts to guarantee that they could work while keeping at least two meters between them, but in general their work continued largely unaltered. 

In the first few months of the pandemic the prices of their inputs increased, as well as their transportation costs. Additionally, due to the uncertainty, there was a decrease in the demand of panela which significantly lowered its prices. This meant that for a couple of months, panela producers all over the country were not making enough to cover their production costs and entered a period of despair. At Asopromieles they considered shutting their plant and stopping all production. 

However, at the end of April, as part of their COVID-19 relief strategies the national government added panela to the list of basic goods that were distributed all over the country to those most in need. Moreover, people started to buy more panela because historically it has been a product that is seen as beneficial to the immune system and very useful when fighting coughs or chest infections. This increase in demand by the national government and individuals, increased prices all over the country and boosted smallholder panela producers like Asopromieles. 

Asopromieles recently formed an exportation block called “Mesa de Cundinamarca” with three other organic panela producer organizations that want to export their products. Under the Farmer-to-Farmer program, the Mesa de Cundinamarca block received volunteer Carlos Perez Vega in February 2020. He carried out a market study to connect them to potential clients in the U.S. and E.U. Thanks to all the work Asopromieles had done, and the support of Carlos and the Farmer-to-Farmer program, in June they managed to export nine tonnes to Spain and in August they exported 18 tonnes to the U.S. 

The Mesa de Cundinamarca block will start a new Farmer-to-Farmer assignment soon, where one local and one remote volunteer will help them to create a coherent and unified marketing and communication strategy for the domestic and international markets. This will help them to increase their sales, at home and abroad. We hope to continue supporting producers like Asopromieles, that benefit hundreds of smallholder Colombian farmers and their families.