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Juan Pablo Duque

Persian Limes

Hello, my name is Juan Pablo Duque, and together with a fantastic team, we grow organic limes. Thank you for buying our fruit! Our company is based in the Valley of the Poblanco River, southwest of Medellín, Colombia.

We seized the opportunity to build an agricultural company on which we could transform lives. We work with 14 different farms each with 150 hectares. Each farm is carefully chosen according to important criteria, such as soil quality, water sources, altitude, and ease of delivery for export.

Interview with Juan Pablo

N&M: Can you tell something about the region where your farm is located?
Juan Pablo: We are located 50 km southwest of Medellín, in the valley of the river ‘Poblanco’. We are at 700 m above sea level in an area where the soil is rich in nutrients; which is optimal for growing citrus fruit. The area has historically been used for cattle rising and fruit growing. Our plantations have given the area relevance in fruit growing, specifically citrus fruit, and above all, Persian limes.

N&M: What is so special about the limes?
Juan Pablo: The soil characteristics, altitude and abundance of water sources added to our particular way of farming and fertilizing trees make us purveyors of unique fruit. The deep green color, abundant juice and size are the result of the particular way of growing and caring for the plantation.

N&M: Why and when did you go organic?
Juan Pablo: Since we started the first farm we grow organic produce. This way we have been able to guarantee innocuous farming and products along the entire chain. We consider that the impact on health and environment of the techniques used is responsible and ethical. This benefits the whole production chain as well as the end consumer.

N&M: What do you see as the benefits of organic farming now?
Juan Pablo: The preservation of human beings’ health and the environment. We protect native species, starting from native weeds to larger species that are part of the ecosystem where the farm is located, such as the crab-eating fox (Cerdocyon thous), monkeys and birds.

N&M: What do you like most about your work?
Juan Pablo: We love what we are doing! Many things motivate us. We are planting 2000 hectares of Persian lime that in a few years will make us one of the world's main producers and exporters of this fruit. This has impact on each of the persons who participate in the several stages of the chain, meaning that we are transforming lives, and this is what makes us proudest.
Historically, the Colombian farmland has been the epicenter of inequality, violence and vulnerable communities. We are generating increased distributable revenues, we are creating ten times more jobs, and we are building a sustainable productive chain in the country's farmland. For Colombia this means a great opportunity to consolidate a proposal for farmland recovery, to equal farmland to future, to bring people back to planting and growing, and above all, to project an image abroad different from the one that has characterized us so far.

N&M: Is there something that every consumer should know about you or your farm?
Juan Pablo: To us work represents the three Ps (P for Persian): Passion, professionalism and perseverance.

Sustainability flower

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soil

We continuously introduce new plants, which improves the soil characteristics and works as a beneficial insects hub. We use rich compost and we always strive to maintain the natural soil coverage: we therefore never cut the weeds. We also are establishing a vermiculture project ( worms) that will make use of waste -our own waste and that of our neighbors- in order to produce our own organic fertilizer.

biodiversity

Our farm provides a habitat for endangered or rare species. For example, we have monkeys, crab eating foxes, owls and snakes. There are diverse fruit trees other than lime which wild animals eat, preserving the ecosystem and the food chain. We reproduce native efficient microorganisms as part of our organic nutrition program. We catch them in the field and we reproduce them in order to be applied to all the plantation so those microorganisms can associate along with the citrus roots. Furthermore we stimulate biodiverse landscapes by avoiding to alter the landscape. We protect piñon forests, reforested and replanted ravines, bamboo banks, lakes and lagoons.

individual

We absolutely value the educational development of our employees. In order to maintain our certifications we need to continuously train workers in good agricultural practices and food handling. Furthermore, when members of our workforce express their intention of conducting certain studies, we make everything possible to support their dream. Besides educational means, we also provide a day-care center where workers can leave their children while they go to work.

To us, our workers’ safety and health are as essential as the work itself. Therefore, all workers without exception are affiliated to social security: health, pension, occupational accidents insurance and family subsidy bureau. The company makes also sure that workers have adequate equipment for every task.

society

We are constantly seeking a way to improve the life quality of our workers including their homes. We meet periodically with our workers to motivate them to work for the collective construction of our company. We than ask them about their dreams and projects, which many times include improving their own homes.

Women are treated equally and valued based on their training and contributions to the company. We are proud to tell that 70% of our management staff are women. In the field work there are currently very few women, but we think this number will increase during the harvesting and classification processes.

economy

First of all, we generate stable, quality jobs during the whole year. We promote trade and consumption dynamics thereby creating additional possibilities in the local area.
We purchase most of our supplies from local suppliers, thus helping the economy and the communities in the area of influence
In addition, we help our workers improving their homes and buying their own means of transportation, and we are devising a project to help them with the education of their children.

climate

As part of energy neutral measurements, we are currently installing solar panels at distant points. In addition, our supplies are produced in-house: vegetable material, compost, canavalia beans and fertilizers. By producing it internally we are saving in their transport to the plantation, which reduces the use of energy from fossil fuel.

water

We have no water shortage; the rain levels are between 1600 and 1800 ml per year in our area. There is actually water shortage only three months in the year. In these times we use a fertilizing-irrigation system with 90% efficiency. The water used in the plantation is taken from the Poblanco River, we ‘desand’ it, and mix it with organic fertilizers. The actual rain surpluses are channeled and poured into the Poblanco River. Our whole operation therefore does not produce any water waste.

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