The chilli pepper seedlings path

Getting our mashes, pastes and purées ready for export takes a lot more work than the final customers of a delicious hot sauce in a supermarket or restaurant can imagine. Our seedling operation in Peru is an example of the challenges that the development of this commercial activity presents us and all that we are willing to do to ensure the quality of our final product.
Quality begins many months before the product is exported. With the production of seedlings. Some farmers are able to develop their own seedlings, but to the vast majority we deliver straight to their farms.
In Peru we work with approximately 480 families that have between a quarter and a half hectare planted with chili pepper. They are small crops that are mostly managed by the family unit and use chili peppers as the preferred crop in association with cocoa or corn crops, either for crop rotation or for simultaneous crops that benefit each other. These families are scattered in various regions of Peru that have great agricultural potential, but are generally in areas with a very complicated geography with limited access roads. Sometimes it is necessary to reach them by waterways or by mountain trails.
The seedlings are produced in a nursery with Good Manufacturing Practices certifications, then they are transported by truck for about 14 to 18 hours until they reach the closest point to the farmer’s property. At that point the seedlings are transferred to boats, donkeys or the most suitable transport to reach each property. Where our staff is always present to guarantee transplantation is done with quality standards.
This is an excelent example of the challenges our farming team faces on a daily basis in providing the start of what will be many months down the line, an excellent hot sauce!
At Hugo Restrepo y Cía we produce spicy ingredients for the food industry. We have chillies like Cayenne, Habanero, Jalapeño, Serrano, and Amarillo.