Organic
Cane Sugar
Located in the south-west of the country, Huila is a very diverse region, with mountains, plains, and even a desert, and temperatures within the department vary from 0°C to 35°C on average. It's the only department in Colombia that has six national parks, which makes it an appealing tourist destination.
San Agustín Archaeological Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, features carved volcanic stone figures which are attributed to ancient populations that inhabited the area from the 1st to the 8th century. Close to the park, between 1,300m and 1,650m above sea level, our farmers grow the sugar cane.
Community
Alfonso
Bolaños
Alfonso has known his wife, Mercedes, since he was ten years old. Their farm, inherited from Alfonso's parents counts with their own little collection of ancient artifacts, testimony to the proximity to the park. The Bolaños' immediate and extended family make for the majority of the association members.
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It all began when a friend of Serbio Bolaños visited a trade show and met Fruandes co-founder Hugo Ciro.
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Hugo took a kilogram of sugar cane back home to Canada with him and it was a success!
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The association Asoopromac was born and today counts with 12 members and 40.25 hectares Certified Organic.
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40 families of small-scale farmers are involved in the process.
Organic cane sugar is harvested year round and entirely processed in the field. Asoopromac has its own cane sugar mill to which all farmers bring their harvests. The mill crushes the canes, extracting liquid which is then evaporated and filtered in a series of tanks at varying heat levels.
Finally, when little liquid remains, the mixture is boiled with great care to not burn the product, then transferred and stirred in a separate container until becoming deliciously golden and granular. The fibrous residues from the canes become combustible for the boiler, and other byproducts find use as fertilizers and food for farm animals, making full use of the plant.
