There is great potential for small-scale farmers to sell more fresh fruits and vegetables to premium export markets. Demand for organic, fairly-traded fresh produce exceeds supply, but small-scale farmers in Africa and Latin America lack the infrastructure needed to get their goods to consumers. Root Capital lending helps small processors purchase and ship sustainably-raised crops, creating sustainable livelihoods for thousands of rural farmers and growing rural prosperity.
Since becoming a Root Capital client in 2010, AgroMantaro, an agro-processor of artichokes and jalapeños, has been able to increase production by 50 percent. By maintaining long-term customer relationships with buyers like General Mills, AgroMantaro provides steady incomes for hundreds of small-scale farmers and more than 600 employees at its processing plant.
Founded in 2005, Fruiteq, a private export company, buys organic and Fair Trade fresh mangoes from more than 500 small-scale producers to whom they provide technical training and financial support. Since 2010, Root Capital financing has enabled Fruiteq to expand its supplier base, fulfill orders, and provide much-needed income in an impoverished nation where 70 percent of the population lives on less than $2 per day.