A loan helped improve the incomes of 600 indigenous farmers who grow organic sacha inchi, a Peruvian superfood.


Shanantina's story

Shanantina is social enterprise that works exclusively with indigenous communities to cultivate sacha inchi, a nut that has been used in Peru for at least 2,000 years. Sacha inchi has growing international appeal because it is a vegan source of omega-3 and omega-6.

Indigenous communities work with Shanantina because it follows fair trade principles, paying its suppliers 61% higher incomes than other distributors, and also provides training to farmers in certified organic farming.

Without Shanantina, farmers are subject to volatile prices for their crops, informal practices such as cash-only payments that lock them into low prices and provide no paper trail, and lack of support for biodiverse products. Superfood products like sacha inchi allow farmers to avoid monocrop cultivation of corn, which is appealing to many living in poverty because it is subsidized by the government. This type of farming often requires the use of pesticides.

Your loan will enable Shanantina to train and provide income to 600 low-income indigenous farmers. With a larger number of certified organic supply, the enterprise can expand its product offerings to include snacks, flour, oil and nuts which will be used to expand to new national and international markets and ensure the revenue to repay this loan.

With your support, communities of the Peruvian Amazon can continue to grow and sell biodiverse products that prevent monocrop agriculture and improve their living conditions.


This loan is special because:

It supports businesses that are too big for microfinance but too small for banks.



Loan details


Lenders and lending teams




Loan details