Due to its unique soil, water, and climate conditions, the export agribusiness industry in the arid coastal areas of Peru is booming and yet, the livelihood of local farmers is not. At EGA our mission is to change this by providing direct access to the global agricultural export market that has been dominated by big corporations, largely due to lofty capital and scale requirements unattainable for small and medium-sized farmers. How are we able to overcome these previously insurmountable obstacles? Through a unique blended business model involving both investors and local farmers. First, to overcome the capital challenges, we have attracted local investors whose mid-size investment tickets (average of USD25k) are put to work to grow fruit to be exported to the northern hemisphere. EGA offers them long-term, turnkey management contracts to import seedlings from Israel, grow them at its nursery facility, transplant them and finally, harvest and export them with its future packing house facility. Second, EGA partners with local farmers who own and operate their own hectares, selling them cutting-edge technology kits and ongoing advisory from Israeli agricultural experts. In addition, EGA provides a 30-year guarantee to buy their produce. Together the yield from impact investor and farmer-owned land combines to provide EGA with a quantity of produce substantial enough for export. It is through this model – many individual investors and farmers with just 1 or 2 hectares each – that investors and farmers alike are able to participate in this industry, and its gains, in a new way.
