Our host club for our fourth day in Cusco was the Cusco Rotary club. We started our morning by heading out of Cusco about 2 hours to a small community called Ante. This is a prominently agrarian community that at times does not utilize all of the resources and farming possibilities of this area. Our destination we visited was INIA, the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation. This agency studies and alters different produce that is grown in the area. This information is then used to help benefit farmers and their produce. It was very interesting place and we got to visit some of their labs as well as their green houses.
We then visited the Backus Plant that brews three cervezas (beers) here in Peru. These beers are Cusqueña, Cristal, and Pilsen Callao. We got to tour the plant and here their process of making these different types of beers. For some of us, this tour made us feel right at home.
After our lunch with the Cusco club we then visited two more factories. The first factory we visited was run by a local Peruvian woman who literally started her business in her own kitchen. Today she has a small factory that during its peak employs 16 to 18 workers. She began with using fresh fruit to make different flavors of marmalades. Her products now include different flavors of marmalades, peanut butter, coffee, teas, colca tea products, and toffees. She told us her story of how she fought to make her products become what they are and it was an inspiring place to visit.
The second factory we briefly visited makes noodle products. In the city they actually grind different raw materials to then be shipped to make the actual noodle products. The raw materials they use are corn, rice, barley, and wheat. We got to see the different equipment they use and learn the process they go through to make their products. The rest of our day was spent with our host families.
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