Niche produce to cultivate in Colombia

jonas says on Nov 17, 2008, 16:05:

lamb´s lettuce

lemon

purple corn

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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august says on Nov 17, 2008, 16:25:

Man, I don't know about this particular region you mention, but I have yet to see Colombians interested - at a profitable magnitude - in eating anything they're not already eating. That said, I would definitely buy some lemons off you just to get some real lemonade - NOT limonada.

What is this chicha you mention? Is that the same fermented beverage people also make from pineapple rinds?

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johnny2008 says on Nov 17, 2008, 16:52:

I haven't seen a cauliflower whilst I have been in Colombia. I was wondering today when someone is going to start growing them. And what about pomegranates? I haven't seen those either and they have saleable health benefits.

august makes a valid point but that guy with a fruit and veg shop in calle 90 sells every known fruit and veg in colombia so he would probably feel compelled to buy yours too

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august says on Nov 17, 2008, 16:59:

Coliflor is definitely on the market in Medallo, but maybe not as frequently as its green cousin. A couple months back I bought an eggplant on the street there - there were about 3 of them for sale - the vendor had no idea what you do with them. Where are all the Italians in that town anyways?!?

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Bill Turley (Trustee board) (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 17, 2008, 17:00:

jonas says on Nov 17, 2008, 17:01:

You are right about that-but- the finca is small, production limited. The lettuce for example could be sold to German and Swiss restaurants and market it to the parents of the German kids at the Colegio Andino and a couple of selected shops where foreigners buy organic food. Sold out.
The purple corn chicha could be sold at gyms, it is incredibly healthy. Also Peruvian restaurants would be a market.
The lemons could be sold at the same places as the lettuce plus cocktail bars and foreign restaurants.

Since the production would be very limited I think it wouldn´t be too difficult. I bet I could sell all my lemons on PBH ;-)

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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johnny2008 says on Nov 17, 2008, 17:01:

Calle 90 is in La Cabrera Bogotá. Saying that, if you aren't in bogotá then it is worth a trip anyway, I stand for hours in there absolutely aghast, it is the most beautiful fruit and veg shop i have seen anywhere

eggplant is aubergine isn't it? i.e. berenjena. They are all over the place. Or did you actually buy the plant?

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august says on Nov 17, 2008, 17:11:

Oh no, it was just the berenjena for sure - althought a full plant would be cool one day. I just thought it was kinda funny that the guy selling it really had no idea what it was.

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jonas says on Nov 17, 2008, 17:31:

cauliflower is coliflor and widely available in Colombia
eggplant is berenjena and widely available in Colombia

thanks for the tip Bill, I will look into that.
the valley is Choachí, behind Monserrate

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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papiChulo says on Nov 17, 2008, 17:36:

jonas... how about growing kale? I love that stuff and I hear its really good for you.

I don't know about the avalibility of herbs in colombia. I have been thinking of having a herb garden when I move there.

Also game birds like pheasants would be good too IMO. I think they must have plenty of quail as there are always quail eggs at the supermarket.

avoid the unhappy and the unlucky

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jonas says on Nov 17, 2008, 17:47:

papi I love your new signature!

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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vicshere says on Nov 17, 2008, 17:52:

raise fish....not grow fish

listo

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papiChulo says on Nov 17, 2008, 18:10:

hey jonas.... for you amigo.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AKiyOYOY64

avoid the unhappy and the unlucky

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englishman says on Nov 17, 2008, 20:05:

Can't answer your question, but... are you still selling cheese?

Medellin still lacks some decent strong cheddar and parmesan.

Rent or Buy Apartments in El Poblado, Medellin - http://www.apartments-medellin.com

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jonas says on Nov 17, 2008, 21:11:

yes, the parmesan should be available in Medellin early next year.

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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casa_de_norte says on Nov 17, 2008, 21:40:

Coca, Hemp, psychedelic mushrooms... profitable, but may invite a bit of trouble..Do they have weekend farmer's markets here? Learn horticulture techniques to get higher quality/less quantity trees push size and flavor and sell the robust fruit the farmers market. a couple of lesbians I know bought a small farm...raised and slaughtered pequeno cordero, cut and wrapped at a premium price..

With the weather changing,,I have been inquiring if a guy can grow nuts areound where I live,,, Part of it is experimenting with different plants, and trees to see what is sustainable

"Why cain't we all jus' git along?!?! "----- The great Rodney King

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jonas says on Nov 17, 2008, 21:46:

well, if your nuts don´t grow where you live maybe it´s time you move to Colombia

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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Mongo says on Nov 17, 2008, 23:15:

How about truffles? Paw-paw? Kiwis?

Might be stupid ideas, I don't know. They all seem kind of rare to me, though....and truffles are worth a fortune. There's a guy here in NC who is trying to start a "farm" for truffles. I'll see if I can find any more info on it.

"Here in Colombia, it's about adding life to your years, not years to your life." Brian Andrews

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Mongo says on Nov 17, 2008, 23:18:

http://www.nctruffles.com/

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A43554-2005Feb22.html

"Here in Colombia, it's about adding life to your years, not years to your life." Brian Andrews

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Dolfi says on Nov 18, 2008, 00:35:

Did you think about Rucola? My wife had never eaten it before she came to Europe and she loves it.
It grows in Italy and should grow in your region.

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dwmte7 says on Nov 18, 2008, 04:03:

jonas, you might want to add blue corn to your list. it's ancient, nutritious and delicious. can be eaten steamed, ground as meal, over the bbq, etc.

nut crops are good...my family was farmers...but you have a seven year gestation period to deal with. i brought the first pistacio seeds to colombia for a lithuanian friend of mine who has a finca in barbosa (north of medellin) sadly, my friend died and noone in the family knows what happened to the seeds. cannot be grown from nuts.

citrus...as most know, the oranges in colombia leave much to be desired...however, again you have long gestation and citrus cancer and fruit fly to contend with. good, sweet navels would shock the colombians as their fruit is bitter/acidic.

also, snails.

dwmte

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dwmte7 says on Nov 18, 2008, 04:04:

sweet grapes....grapes in colombia are not sweet.

dwmte

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PBHjon says on Nov 18, 2008, 04:52:

out of curiosity, have you checked that the altitude, moisture, and Ph levels of the soil are sufficient to support those type of crops? I don't know anything about agriculture but I know its a hassle to match plots of land with the type of crops that can be reliably grown there.

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dwmte7 says on Nov 18, 2008, 07:03:

most crops...unless faced with a high 'frost factor' will grow just about anywhere. even in some of the worst soils. fortunately, colombia has great soil. it'll grow anything.

dwmte

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PBHjon says on Nov 18, 2008, 07:11:

thats certainly not true when it comes to growing tropical fruit, try growing a mango in the middle of a backyard in minnesota.

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johnny2008 says on Nov 18, 2008, 07:30:

Jonas, how about we double up on Medellin distribution? and I will trade you some parmesan and a plate of cured meats for a giant box of muesli

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pedro (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 18, 2008, 08:34:

PBHjon says on Nov 18, 2008, 08:45:

blueberries are a whole lot better than mora.

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johnny2008 says on Nov 18, 2008, 09:12:

blueberries and cranberries too, but both are very fiddly to translate.

I think LatAm

Blueberry = Mora Azul, Cranberry = Arándano

Esp

Blueberry = Arándano, Cranberry = Arándano Agrio

And what about redcurrants? Grosellas I believe. I haven't seen those here either

Or gooseberries!

Come to think of it where does Colombia hide its rhubarb?

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vicshere says on Nov 18, 2008, 09:23:

mushrooms man thats the way to go

listo

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jonas says on Nov 18, 2008, 09:54:

Rucola is widely available in Colombia. But I guess not many years ago it wasn´t. Basically the idea is to get a few produce that might have a market exactly like rucola. Exactly that. I bet the first ones to cultivate it here didn´t have it easy but it turned into a nice success. I would not need a big success thing because the production would be very limited. I don´t plan on becoming a big farmer, it would be more like a hobby on the side and have to support itself and hopefully bring in a little cash that one could eventually "survive" on. I do have a different business that I live off.

Mushrooms, yes, my gf is very keen on cultivating those. I believe you need a very sterile environment to grow them but once they grow it´s like a permanent harvest and they certainly are not cheap in Colombia. Again, since production would be very small it might be interesting to start with a kind that does not exist here yet but has a potential market at foreign restaurants. They should be a kind that is fairly resistant since we are no experts in this.

The blue corn I believe is the same as the purple I have on my original list.

The yellow lemons, yes I do believe there is a market. That could be places like the Martini place at Zona T, as well as a lot of foreign restaurants. A sauce made with lime juice just isn´t the same as a sauce made with lemon juice. Ask any french chef at the Zona G and they should agree.
To show the difference: I used to make Caipirnhas back in Europe when Cachaca was new on the market there. The Cachaca, costing about $1-2 in Brazil cost about $15-20 in Europe. And we needed limes, the green ones you find here. The limes cost us exactly the same as the booze at the time and with lemons it simply wasn´t the same. So we spent a fortune on limes. I bet if you were to sell lemons here you could sell them fast for maybe COP 1000 a piece. I would certainly buy them at that price if I could find them. The trees need about 3 years to grow fruit.
I will check with ICA if there is a problem with citrus fly in the valley. I doubt it since I have seen lime there.

Another interesting herb/spice could be something from Thailand for use in oriental/thai cooking that could be marketed towards thai and sushi restaurants (they are not cheap)

Johnny, let´s meet for another coffee some times this week, I have a few ideas I would like to share with you regarding your business. Give me a call sometimes this week.

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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Tinto (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Nov 18, 2008, 10:00:

Colombians aren't afraid of greasy junk food, so I think you should start growing those big, sweet onions that are sliced, battered and deep fried. Viola! - you have a "blooming onion" as big as your head, just like the ones at the county fair or Applebee's, Chili's, etc.



You'll make millions and eventually billions because once your customers turn into porkers, you can sell them weight loss pills, weight loss books, plus size clothing, fitness club memberships, diabetes treatments, wheelchairs, electric scooters...

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jonas says on Nov 18, 2008, 10:03:

The place I am thinking about starting this project is the valley between Choachí and Foméque. About 40 Km from Bogotá centro. Do not go there, it is very dangerous! ;-)

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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pedro (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 18, 2008, 10:19:

PBHjon says on Nov 18, 2008, 12:40:

jonas, if someone goes in and buys up your finca before you can pay the money, it will be your fault for giving us so much information :)

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jonas says on Nov 18, 2008, 12:50:

haha, I know. But believe me, the best parts I have not given (yet haha).
I have been looking at a couple of places but nothing in particular yet. And anyone else feel free to do the same, I am not worried, I guess it could actually help if one works together. Nothing bad about having a bit of competition. When working together this could even put prices higher ;-)

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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johnny2008 says on Nov 18, 2008, 13:46:

Pedro, Agraz if anything is grosella negra (the humble blackcurrant) but I am not convinced that they are exactly the same, I didn't scribble down black currant because of its overwhelming similarity to grosella negra.

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jonas says on Nov 18, 2008, 14:01:

Arándano rojo or Cranberry could be a nice one. If you make juice from it and sell it to some exclusive bars. That juice is so expensive here...but it goes so well with my vodka

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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jonas says on Nov 19, 2008, 07:34:

Desi I thought you would come up with something good-where are you?

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 19, 2008, 07:52:

Desi1 (Moderator) (Trustee board) says on Nov 19, 2008, 08:10:

Uhhh...I'm not really familiar with altitude horticulture, the guambianos of Silvia grow nothing but potatoes and onion up there in the mountains.
Fresh mountain herbs, eucalyptus for medicinal purposes... I've alweays wondered how come there are no olive trees in Colombia. Wouldn't the climate in a high-mountain valley be suitable for them? Colombians are taking themselves into early graves with all that disgusting, unhealthy palm oil they are using.

A fronte praecipitium a tergo lupi

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Alma del Norte says on Nov 19, 2008, 08:14:

Niether. It's just jonas' way of disuading the rabble. Nice choice by the way. They grow a lot of Durazno, no?

La vida es una rutina

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jonas says on Nov 19, 2008, 08:21:

Darloup, there used to be a lot of guerrilla up there. The road leading there now has permanent military presence and you get stopped and searched about 3 times on the 40 Km going there. The situation has become a lot safer recently but I do in no way want to encourage people to do what I am doing.

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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Alma del Norte says on Nov 19, 2008, 08:24:

Yeah right! Your secret's safe with me boy ; )

La vida es una rutina

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jonas says on Nov 19, 2008, 09:09:

Alma, talking about soul, you have noticed my signature I take it... ;-)

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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Darloup (☼Travelguide writer) says on Nov 19, 2008, 09:20:

Sam Salmon says on Nov 19, 2008, 09:40:

Pomegranates would be popular with people recently arrived from the Middle East but most Colombians wouldn't touch them.

' a la orden!'

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jonas says on Nov 19, 2008, 09:49:

no hago negocios con el diablo, así que un dia se la dejo.
"Mi alma se la dejo al diablo" es el titulo de un libre de German Castro Caycedo. Es la última frase del diario escrito por un hombre que murió abandonado en el corazón de la selva amazónica colombiana. A partir de allí, el autor rastreó la historia durante cuatro años y, tras hallar a los personajes que la protagonizaron, recogió sus versiones, exploró los lugares donde ocurrieron los hechos y, apoyándose en los documentos oficiales —derivados de la investigación que suscitó el hecho—, reconstruyó la historia, formada por episodios reales que parecen superar la ficción.

dammit I think I am hijacking my own post ;-)

Mi alma se la dejo al diablo

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dwmte7 says on Nov 20, 2008, 15:20:

colombian peaches suck. period. hard as a rock and not sweet. like so many other fruits there . there tree stock is horrible and should be cycled. we used to raise peaches and let me tell you, you couldn't give away colombian peaches back in the states. just like their oranges. when my wife first got to the states she couldn't believe hos sweet the citrus was and also the grapes.

if you like to pucker your face, eat colombian fruits. pinapple, mango, papaya are fine. but the others......forget it.

as for olives. because of the proximity to the equator, olives will do fine in colombia up to about 7.500 ft. and better as the altitude drops. they need to get into drip irrigation and then they can turn their arid lowlands into fertile orchards. specifically, the guahira.

dwmte

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Alma del Norte says on Nov 20, 2008, 16:51:

Desi and Douglas; I thought that olives were out in Colombia because the flowers can't hack the wind. I made quite a few enquiries about this in the past, and I understood that there is only one place where you can do this; don't know where though. I'd love to have some olive trees.

La vida es una rutina

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Monpirri says on Nov 20, 2008, 18:17:

Who in the world with discriminating taste is going to prefer nasty yellow lemons over the healthy green limes? Only gringos would love the idea.
By the way, Colombia grows lots of produces, you will have to find out for yourself or get yourself a girlfriend from COLOMBIA who has a lot of experience in this field!

The life spam of a taste bud is ten days

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johnny2008 says on Nov 20, 2008, 18:45:

"get yourself a girlfriend from COLOMBIA who has a lot of experience in this field!"

Yeah Jonas that's the answer, get yourself a Colombian girlfriend with experience of fields

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Sam Salmon says on Nov 20, 2008, 18:58:

Some of the respondents of this thread are astoundingly clueless-OP has clearly asked about products that aren't mainstream.

' a la orden!'

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