Episode 60: The Women Who Rule the Superfoods of Peru

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The Produce Moms Podcast

Episode 60: The Women Who Rule the Superfoods of Peru

“We have to trust in the capacity of women, not only to farm and to have kids, but to run families and … nations, and the next generation.” – Lorena Muro (9:02-9:11)

Lorena Muro is a powerful force, elevating females in agriculture, specifically within the fresh produce sector. She is the CEO of Mama Pacha, a ten-year-old company from Peru which exports organic superfoods from the Amazon highland, especially organic ginger and turmeric. 

Mama Pacha

Lorena loves being part of the produce industry. She believes that the value she can bring to the table is the voice of all the women doing hard-working jobs in the jungle and who are not being heard.

“In order for a Peruvian woman to stand on her own feet and take care of her family – especially when there isn’t a man around – we have to give her opportunities to grow economically.” – Lorena Muro (8:38-8:47)

After analyzing the situation of the 100 women who work in their processing facility in Peru, Lorena and Mama Pacha discovered that many of these women are single mothers who rent out their farms. 

By opening a school to provide education and care for their children while their mothers work, Mama Pacha assists these women in managing their businesses growing ginger on the farms they already own. They then sell the ginger to Mama Pacha while continuing to work in the processing facilities. 

Seventy percent of the volume of ginger that Mama Pacha now distributes to the United States has been managed directly by women. Lorena believes that there is no better empowerment they can give to these women than that of economic empowerment. 

The Special Meaning of the Name, “Mama Pacha”

In the Inca language, “Mama Pacha” means “Mother Earth.” Mother Earth is the energy that provides and sustains life on this planet. The mission of the company is to protect the overall health of life. Mama Pacha is embracing the female creative power in an effort to reduce the gender gap and provide greater opportunities for everyone. 

“I personally consume a lot of ginger, because it makes me feel better. I juice ginger, and grate it into my vegetable dishes… let’s talk about what makes it such a great choice for health and wellness.” – Lori Taylor (11:40-12:15)

What Makes Peruvian Ginger a Good Choice for Health and Wellness

The ecosystem in the highland Amazon jungle where Peruvian ginger grows allows it to have three times the essential oil concentration than any other ginger in the world. This means that it also provides three times the anti-inflammatory effect as ginger grown in other regions.

Lorena’s Mission

Lorena has a passion for helping Peruvian women understand that this is a  beautiful and responsible business. And it will open doors for a lot of people. She believes that by women embracing their own power, energy, and beauty, they have the capacity to create life, transform generations, and make a better world for us to live.  What better way to do this than to provide our world with life-sustaining fresh produce?

Learn More About Mama Pacha

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Superfoods

[bctt tweet=”This week on #TheProduceMoms #Podcast we feature Lorena Muro, the CEO of Mama Pacha. Learn how they are empowering the women of Peru, and providing the produce industry with a powerhouse of superfoods. ” username=”theproducemom”]

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Episode 56: 7 Minutes to Less Stress and More Energy

Episode 55: Changing the World Through Foods and Words

About Lori

Lori Taylor is the Founder & CEO of The Produce Moms. For ten years she sold fresh produce to over 300 grocery stores throughout the United States, and today she is fully focused on working with the produce supply chain, media, and government to increase fresh produce access & consumption in the US and around the globe. Connect with Lori on LinkedIn.

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