The organic food and products trend is slowly gaining steam in Peru, in part because of small businesses like Consumidor Verde who not only offer practical information on the value of buying organic, but also sell those products to make the transition to a healthier lifestyle as easy and convenient as possible.

Consumidor Verde began a few years ago as a website built to provide information about the ways in which human consumption affects the environment.  Before long, founders Jorge Prado, 31, and Cristina Guzman, 25, found that simply providing information was not enough - readers wanted concrete options to make the changes that the website was encouraging. 

It was then that their online store was born.  Prado and Guzman began to search for organic, sustainable and eco-friendly products that could meet the demand they had generated on their website, and then they set up a delivery service to bring the goods right to their customers doors. 

Before long the online store was not enough, so to meet extended demand and cater to customers who were more comfortable seeing and feeling the new products before purchasing, Consumidor Verde opened its first retail location in Miraflores.  It caries many unique products like organic cotton t-shirts, relaxation pillows, jewelry made by local artisans and even bags of Peruvian potato chips made for export to France.  They also carry staples of an organic diet like rice, coffee, salt, chocolate, beans, oils, sugar and marmelades. 

But despite the apparent growing demand, convincing people to eat healthier and protect the environment is still an uphill battle in Peru. 

“The majority of people who are interested in these products want them because of health reasons,” Prado said.  “Families often change their entire diets when one member gets sick.”

“Some clinics now are even recommending to patients that they only eat organic food while they recover from a surgery,” Guzman added.

It is rare, according the Prado and Guzman, that people understand the environmental and health impact of the food they eat, and even when they do, for financial reasons it can be difficult to switch over to a healthier diet.

But the potential to make a lasting impact on the health of their compatriots and the sustainability of Peru’s farmland is enough to motivate Prado and Guzman to keep going. 

And they do see encouraging growth.  The number of vendors that want to sell their products with Consumidor Verde is growing daily.

“At the beginning no one wanted to sell with us,” Guzman said.  “Now they come to us!”

They pride themselves on being a one-stop-shop for all types of organic and eco-friendly goods online and in their small store, tucked away at the back of a shopping center near Parque Kennedy. 

But don’t let the hidden nature of their store fool you - the market for organic goods is growing in Peru. And if you are interested in learning more about keeping yourself and this country healthy, Consumidor Verde is a great place to start. 

 

Consumidor Verde
Website: www.consumidorverde.com/
Phone: 242 0733
Address: Cantuarias 140, Store 103, Miraflores

 

 

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