After the worst, Peruvian businessmen are getting ready for their first post-vaccination Christmas.
Corn on the rocks
The idea of making whiskey with Andean grains came to Michael Kuryla in a conversation with his wife in a bar in Oxapampa. According to the entrepreneur, countries like the US, Scotland and Canada have their own standard for preparing whiskey. In Peru, only international standards work, which do not necessarily apply to their crops.
Almost a year after their first tests, by 2017 they already had a first preview of what, in the end, would become Black Whiskey, their heir with the unmistakable color of purple corn. In November 2019, shortly before the pandemic, they managed to launch it.
“We were quite welcome that Christmas and summer, but with the pandemic all sales went to zero. Thank God, we were able to process a permit to work for some more time and we were able to fill barrels to open an online store. Sales weren’t great, but they helped, ”he confesses.
This contributed to the fact that, finally, they could be reactivated, and with it the entire production chain behind their project. Black Whiskey specifically uses INIA 601 purple corn, by engineer Alicia Medina. The color is stronger in this variety due to its important anthocyanin level. In the end, everyone benefits.
“It has been incredible because now we work with farmers from Cajamarca, who have, thanks to INIA, added value in their fields. Before, basically, only the crown of purple corn was used, ”he says.
Today, the business expects a good reception for the end of the year parties, so it manages its entry to southern regions such as Cusco, Tacna and Arequipa, as well as the north, in Cajamarca. However, they are not resting on their laurels. His next goal is to test giant corn and others from Peru, where there are up to 53 varieties compared to 13 in the US.
“We are making our version of Bourbon with local grains, and we hope that before the end of the year we can register Andean whiskey with a standard for Peru. This is super important because it will work for everyone. If you want to start, my advice is to choose a product with potential, which in Peru there are plenty. And if you want to come and talk, we have the doors open ”, emphasizes Kuryla.
Fresh as soursop
Opportunities are like sunrises: waiting too long leads to missing them. When Adolfo Carpio and Gabriela Arias realized that the confinement could take longer than expected for the clothing businesses in the south of Lima, they decided to take advantage of part of their AFP and some savings to give wings to their tenacious imagination.
As recalled, as a result of the problems with the pandemic, the Government authorized the withdrawal of AFP and CTS funds to provide liquidity to families. Although there is no exact calculation of how much money came out of the first, in the case of the CTS, between April and October last S / 7,227 million came out.
With an initial capital of S / 20,000, the couple headed towards the end of 2020 to start the online negotiations to acquire their first two machines (one overlocker and one cutting machine) with another entrepreneur, a Gamarra businessman and also affected by the confinement. The next step was to install Guanábana, prepare the molds and optimize the finishes, a challenge that they more than met thanks to Arias’ expertise.
“The textile world is immense, there are techniques that we know perfectly and others that we are embracing over time. That is why the name of Guanábana, a project of fresh clothing that is continually renewed ”, says Adolfo, expectant of the doors that are opened to him.
Currently, Guanábana is the main supplier of garments and other fabric items at Creative Details, a store specializing in gifts by mail, as well as customers who eventually knock on your door guided by the personalized service they provide. Indeed, they await a promising Christmas.
In Don Adolfo’s opinion, this has been one of the main strengths of the business: offering a close and non-wholesale treatment to each of its buyers, without this meaning making its products more expensive, which are inherently high-quality.
“We want people who live south of Lima, with their own businesses or in markets, to turn to us for a factor of time and distance, a substantial advantage over Gamarra, for example,” he says.
Technology, entrepreneurship and the State for the reactivation
Earlier this month, Indecopi’s Commission on Dumping, Subsidies and Elimination of Non-Tariff Trade Barriers (CDB) ordered the imposition of definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of plain fabrics made exclusively with polyester and cotton staple fibers originating in the People’s Republic of China.
During CADE 2021, entrepreneurs linked to the SME sector in Peru expressed their commitment to the Peruvian Government to promote formalization and employment throughout the territory. To do this, they welcomed recently launched measures, such as factoring, but asked for greater state support.
INIA 601 purple corn has a large number of genes that properly regulate its anthocyanin level, making it the variety with the highest antioxidant properties to lower high blood pressure and cholesterol.
The numbers
78% of Peruvians made purchases via the internet so far this year, according to CCL.
37% of Peruvians already spend as before the pandemic, according to Ipsos.
Kingston is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
