Organic Dried
Dragon Fruit
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℃ to 35 ℃ on average. It is 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. In and around Palestina, our farmers grow their organic dragon fruits between 1,200 and 2,000 m above sea level.
Community
Simón
Valencia
Simón has been a strong leader throughout the certification process and easily infects others with his passion for organic farming. His wife, Nancy, now also is an association member, and even his son Simón Felipe, 9, already has his own little dragon fruit plantation.
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The organic dragon fruit organization Macizo Vivo started with three friends, Genaro, Estéban, and Simón, who wanted to do things differently.
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There was little to no knowledge about organic farming in the region when the three set out to work with Fruandes to switch to this new lifestyle.
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Today, there are 12.8 hectares of organic certified cultivation, 6 organization members, and 72 families of small-scale farmers involved.
Dragon fruit is a naturally wild tropical species. It grows on a kind of cactus which demands great care to cultivate. The plants need to be tied to wooden structures to keep them off the ground and away from humidity and critters. The fruit which grows from a beautiful, nocturnal flower is harvested twice a year, with one major, and one minor harvest.
Once the fruit reaches the Fruandes facility, it is carefully selected, washed, peeled, and cut. After being dehydrated in a hot air drying oven, the product is cooled and packaged so you can enjoy it in its purest form. There are about 4.5 dragon fruits in 100g of dried product.
