Agave and wood, start a pandemic with what the earth gives

Finding the ideal space to grow can mean the success of our endeavor. But if there isn’t, we can build it.

Summits of Caraz

Aqará is named after the town of Caraz, a Quechua word from the old ‘Qaaray’, which means ‘residence of agaves’. It is not surprising, then, that this artisan drink, made with agave pineapples, carries on its label the Black and White mountain ranges of Callejón de Huaylas, the place where Marco Suárez, a Peruvian entrepreneur who was not only committed to place his native land in the eyes of the world, but to ensure the well-being of his collaborators during the pandemic.

“The geographical location of Caraz has authenticated us for 800 years. This agave, more than a wild plant, grows in lands that have never been cultivated, near glaciers, so it has many salts and minerals. Higher up, just the mountain. The accent of Aqará represents the water from that rain with which it is watered ”, Suárez assured.

Caraz It is the only place in the world that has agaves in its etymology. Tequila, also made with this species, comes from the Nahuatl ‘place of work’; while mezcal comes from ‘cooked agave’. The monumental flower, considered the tallest of its kind (between 12 and 15 meters high), gave rise to a production plant that integrates, from harvest to distillation, six workers, an almost familiar act. The result: a Peruvian distillate sui generis with 40 degrees of alcohol.

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“Between March and December 2020, the sale was practically nil. Keeping our staff was our priority then. We received a loan from Reactivate Peru and it was recognized, although it did not work. Happily, we now have the grace period of government and we can pay the loan until another year ”, he says.

Marco Suárez explains that they usually tell him that his star input is a ‘cabuya’, because in some parts of Peru it is known that way. Others call it ‘penca’, ‘maguey’, or ‘paqpa’ in Cusco. And is that the agave is a plant that in our country grows in heaps, but that we associate more with Mexico.

For this reason, he refers that his distillate does not seek to imitate tequila or mezcal, but rather acquires its own formula to connect diners with the adventure of the wild Andes.

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In this resurgence for Aqará, Marco Suárez resorts, from the beginning, to integrate this local effort of human capital with digitization as an added value, to the point that the name of the worker who chose that agave and a 3D map can be known on the bottle with the location of your harvest. As always, in Caraz. And for every agave cut, plant three.

“Our profile stands out for its aromas of Andean herbs and shrubs, and recreates flavors that evoke fruits ripened on the same plant, that is to say, it is not tequila, it is not mezcal, having the terroir of Peru, of the Huaylas Alley“, Confers resolved.

Wood to undertake

Fortune MoreanoAn architect by profession, she found in confinement and her passion for wood the opportunity to land the dream she had been cultivating since 2015.

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The process of Chimera Spaces It begins with contacting the client, for whom a design appropriate to their needs is prepared, which is then presented as a tangible proposal in the carpentry and metalworking workshops with which it works.

It is there where the furniture is prepared in ‘raw’, as she mentions, so that finally it is her hands that are dedicated to polishing, sanding and final finishes.

“Right in 2020, I decided to go formal. Thus, between January and March, when there was already a pandemic but no confinement, I was devising some projects that could not be carried out, as carpentry shops and workshops were closed. I spent almost two months without being able to do anything, but in May they managed to reactivate and, with them, I too ”, he says.

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In effect, the sector fell by 15.2% during the period from January to November 2020, according to information from the National Society of Industries (SNI), which foresees a recovery to prepandemic levels in the middle of the first quarter of 2022. Recently , the Ministry of Production (Produce) reported that, in July 2021, manufacturing production grew 6.7% compared to July 2020, registering a positive result for the eighth consecutive month.

Moreano explains that, as a result of the health emergency and the consequent encouragement of teleworking in the Peruvian labor market, private furniture projects emerged in an unusual way. It, because families spent more time at home than before and realized the urgency of making their new workplace or study an ideal place.

Over time, the business has specialized at a frenetic pace, moving from making its initial coffee tables with pallets to designing complex living room and bedroom furniture in 3D. In addition, he no longer only uses the wood of choice that his clients request, but has also successfully ventured into other modeling techniques, such as veneer.

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“I would like that Chimera not only become an architect studio, but an environment where, beyond making furniture to order, pieces and concepts are prepared that are born from a real need, completely different from what the market offers. Also invite other people to co-create together, with decoration in general, upholstery, moldings, etc. ”, reveals Fortune.

Reactivation of alcohols and timber

Between 2012 and October 2020, Peru exported more than 948 thousand metric tons of wood worldwide for a value FOB (without considering taxes or insurance) of US $ 955 million.

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As part of the reactivation process, this year the ISC for alcoholic beverages was raised. In the case of some drinks with more than 20 degrees of alcohol, it went from US $ 0.95 to US $ 0.97 per liter.

This month, the world Bank raised the need to promote productive enterprises in Peru.