THE JOURNEY OF

THE QUINOA IN THE

COLOMBIAN ANDES

How Granos Andinos is

rescuing the quinoa crop,
bringing development and
progress to the small farmers
in the Colombian Mountains
Granos Andinos started in 2014, that year won Destapa Futuro,
one of the most prestigious contest of entrepreneurship in
Colombia, sponsored by Fundación Bavaria.
In 2015 we do some trial crops with small farmers. We worked
alongside some associations like Asochivata, pictured in the
photo in July of 2016.
 We work in the region of
Boyacá, about 2 hours from
Bogota (capital of Colombia).
The region is about 2600
meters above the sea, perfect
for the growth of quinoa due to
the fertile lands.
The first steps to start a harvest
are based on two important
things, selecting the best seeds
and the soil. Growers always
select the best plants from the
last crop.
Preparation of the land is based on traditional methods, instead
of apply agrochemical products to the soil, for that reason our
quinoa is organically produced.
In this photo quinoa has two weeks after sowing. The months
used to plant in Colombia are April and October
The first month is critical for the
production and development of
the plant, after that, the quinoa
start to grow quickly.
Quinoa of two months
The work on the crop is done by the family group. In this picture
we see Olivia and her husband Marco Panche.
 Around the third to fourth
month, quinoa flowers bloom, in
this photo the flowers are
purple, but there are many
colors in other varieties.
During the crop cycle, Granos Andinos capacitate the growers and
share the best experiences in field visits to other quinoa crops
The quinoa maturates and change his colors near to the fifth
month, and families prepare for the harvest.
When the quinoa turn yellow to gold, it´s time to harvest!
The harvest of quinoa is done manually, this is a great
opportunity for the generation of work in the region.
After the quinoa is cut, it is
necessary to wait a few
days for it to dry and can
be threshed. Here we see
Manuel Mongua and his
son proud of their work.
The grains are separated from the stalks and the husks with the
thresher machine
 The quinoa is measured
and bought according to
the quality, then is send it
to the Granos Andinos
processing plant.
Finished at the end of 2016, the plant has a monthly processing
capacity of 60 tons, we are in the process of the obtain the
HACCP certification for quality.
 BEFORE AFTER

Remotion of the saponin in the

Red Pasankalla variety

In our facilities, the quinoa is

cleaned, dried and the saponin*
is removed.

*The saponin is the bitter taste

that covers the quinoa grain
 Before After

Quinoa should be selected by grain, to remove any impurity must be

processed by a color selection machine, to obtain a grain of superior quality.
The result of the process is a
quinoa of export type quality.

Ready to turn into other high

value ingredients, for natural,
vegetarian and gluten free
markets.
 We can pack the products in
various types of presentations
for retail sale, from box, flat bag
or ziploc bag, and we are
capable of making other brands.
 Granos Andinos was the
promoter for the introduction of
the quinoa, in the School Feeding
Program (SFP) for the Department
of Boyacá, feeding more than 170
thousand children with quinoa.

Granos Andinos work with small

family farms, from various
municipalities, to supply quinoa
locally produce for the SFP.
IS SUPPORTED BY:
Our team wants to thank all of you, and invite you to enjoy our
product and support our cause by choosing the quinoa form
Granos Andinos de Colombia.
 THANK YOU!
www.granosandinos.com

@granosandinos

diego@granosandinos.com

(+57) 315 - 9274990