Berraquera
Berraquera is a Colombian word for resilience, the strength to overcome adversity: the passion, courage and determination to rise to a challenge.
Behind Berraquera is Fruto del Espíritu CIC, a Community Interest Company, set up to open new overseas markets for Colombian smallholder farmers, in particular those adversely affected by conflict.
Virtuous Circle
Our enterprise model is a virtuous circle of the import of exotic fruit to the UK; the offer of delicious, healthy products and ethical reinvestment in smallholder fruit-farming in Colombia, for example Project Refresh.
Fruit Farmers’ Associations
We started to work with fruit-farmers in Antioquia:
- Asolideragro, who created a fabulous Mora Collage at the top of our home page
- Asofrutas, La Ceja: Mora see video.
- Asofrusabar, Santa Bárbara: Mango and Maracuyá.
… and to work with fruit-farmers in the Coffee Axis:
- Moreros Santa Rosa, Risaralda (photo)
- Aslubel supplied their lulo, from Belén de Umbría.
The Colombian Cocktail Challenge
School year groups were divided into teams to create alcohol-free cocktails and marketing campaigns, judged by teachers and governors. The winning drink was served at the school prom!
The Programme was taken up by 70+ organisations: Primary Schools focusing on healthy eating; Secondary Schools focusing on enterprise and Youth Clubs focusing on alcohol-free mixology.
The most successful student enterprise was Cattleya, King Charles I School, Kidderminster, who run for several years as a C.I.C.
Lulo listed Nationwide
The next step was to scale up lulo: 9 tonnes!
On the event of Colombian State Visit to the UK in November 2016 to honour the peace process, lulo samples were sent to several restaurant chains.
One commercial client responded wholeheartedly, listing 2 drinks – a lulo mojoito and lulo softail – in their 50+ restaurants throughout the UK.
In 2017, thanks to that success and to Anvar Contenidos, we made the first professional Berraquera Lulo video.
Partnership with Belén de Umbría
In 2018 FdE was offered a place on the Agritech mission to Colombia, backed by the UK Government. The mission visited the Territory of Learning in Belén de Umbría, Risaralda.
In October 2018 a delegation from Belén visited Dumfries & Galloway, Scottish Borders, Fife & Dundee; London & Essex; Worcs, Bristol & Cornwall.
The culmination of the tour was the kind reception by the Colombian Ambassador to the United Kingdom at the time, HE Néstor Osorio Londoño.
The Pandemic
Our largest commercial clients, like most of the hospitality sector, were obliged to close for a year and this was devastating for our business.
While being unable to trade, FdE organised regular live links between our grassroots committed customers in the UK and associations of smallholders in Colombia and made microinvestments in tools & equipment.
Following the pandemic, FdE started again developing the new line of Berraquera dried fruit, which is where we are today and we invite you to join us!
Why not order a Taster Set today?