In the Andean highlands of Peru, Bolivia, and Ecuador Native potatoes come in over 4,000 different types, each with its own distinct flavour, texture, form, and vibrant colour which are never found outside these regions.
Adapted to the extreme circumstances found in the high Andes, where heights range from 3,500 to 4,200 metres, agrochemicals are used sparingly or not at all in the production of these native cultivars making organic certification easier to obtain.
They are only accessible as fresh produce from April to October, however cultivars that store or transport well or produced in the off-season may be available. Their texture is mostly governed by dry-matter content, which ranges from 18 to 34 per cent of fresh weight; hardness and mealiness vary greatly, and fat absorption during frying is normally modest. Various pigments (yellow carotenoids, red and purple anthocyanins) are nutritionally significant as antioxidants in addition to producing a variety of colours.
They’re not like the white-fleshed, smooth-skinned, and tasteless kinds that are typically cultivated elsewhere in the world. These native potatoes have been significant in the nutrition and economy of Amerindian subsistence farmers for roughly 8000 years, but science has overlooked them, and the potato and health food industries have mostly ignored them.
However, as more people become aware of these potatoes’ potential, numerous enterprises are turning to them to create a variety of products. One such company is Tiyapuy.
From Andes to the world
Tiyapuy is a Spanish company that makes a variety of potato chips from these local potatoes. The company brings traditional customs into the modern era with high-quality, nutrient-dense goods that are free of chemical treatments.
It has a wide range of products running from a variety of quinoa chips to pasta.
Tiyapuy makes these quinoa chips with high-quality, nutrient-dense ingredients that are free of chemicals. Quinoa flakes are cooked in sunflower oil and come in a variety of flavours, including spicy and BBQ.
Tiyapuy also has a pasta line made with organic quinoa and superfood grains. All raw materials are meticulously grown, with native seeds sown at more than 3600 metres above sea level in Ayacucho, to safeguard biodiversity.
Natural components, such as maras salt and sunflower oil, are utilised to make the chips, which are free of preservatives. It has manufacturing facilities in Lima (Chips) and Ayacucho (pasta), which meet the highest quality and health standards.
Chips Papas Nativas Mix (colored) and Chips Papas Nativas Amarilla are two of the company’s most popular chips. Natural Quinoa Chips and Quinoa Chips with BBQ Flavour have just been released, and they’re made entirely of Peruvian organic quinoa.
Unique methods
Tiyapuy priotises on win win2. This indicates that there is a ‘win’ for the company, but there is also a ‘win2’ for the consumer as well as the farmer. For the appreciation it gives to the heroes, the farmers, the company is devoted to fair trade.
Because of the brand’s reputation and its unique value proposition in the ultra healthy food sector, the company’s revenues have more than tripled since its inception in November 2020.
Tiyapuy is the first snack company to use Blockchain technology, allowing all of its stakeholders to learn about the backstory of each of the products. Consumers may learn about the traceability environment by scanning the QR code on the packaging, which provides information such as the native potato type, the location of the plot where it was cultivated, the identity of the farmer who planted it, and even the day on which it was harvested!
The products are also exported, and can be obtained at the Pikante restaurant and El Maiz in Switzerland; the Louis outlet in New York (215 Chrystie St, Manhattan, Public Hotel); and the Patio orgánico store in México.
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