Crisps that care for the community
The firm's co-founders Natalie Pernas and Martín Acosta revived the use of two native species of Andean potato that used to be consumed by the indigenous population hundreds of years ago but had been passed over for cheaper modern varieties.
With a development programme financed by non-governmental organisation USAID and the German Chamber of Commerce, Kiwa set up agricultural production in the Andean region of Ecuador, breathing new life into the community and supporting the farmers with training, technical assistance, seeds and tools to help them boost their productivity.
Growing the potatoes at more than 3,353m above sea level produces a crisp that is dark in colour and high in antioxidants.
"Our product has the second highest level of antioxidants in the world," said co-founder Natalie Pernas. "The first is green tea."
The crisps have been launched in Ecuador, Japan, Germany and Spain, plus specialist UK outlets.
