Living in Peru : your everyday companion

Purple corn, native to Peru, contains high levels of an antioxidant. Can someone market and sell this in the health and beauty market? Three students say it is possible. Below is there plan for a pill. Just don’t call it a "chicha capsule," they say.

LivinginPeru.com/Technoserve

“We got involved in the project and it fascinated us,” says Melissa Taxa Gil. She and two other students from the Peruvian University of Applied Sciences (UPC) came up with a business proposal to sell capsules with purple corn extract. This native Peruvian corn, called maiz morado, has a high concentration of the antioxidant anthocyianin, which according to some lab research, reduces cholesterol, improves eyesight and improves skin around the eyes.

The product will be called Zea Life and the business plan is to sell it in U.S. natural and organic product. It would start off in Miami.

The group responsible for Zea Life, finalists in the business idea competition Idea Tu Empresa, say they would look to offer farmers above-market prices as suppliers. Fair trade prices (above the current market price of 0.7 soles per kilo) would create a supply-chain relationship that offers access to good agricultural practices, administration and environmental care. “We are also going to incorporate members of the family of the farmers so that they become in charge of the harvesting of the corn,” says Taxa.  “We will look for advice so that they will receive financial support; this way they could increase their production capacity and together they could offer their products to other buyers.

One of the challenges to resolve is that purple corn farmers cultivate on very small parcels of land, and with varying own farming methods. This business plan would require coordinating standardized cultivation methods to ensure sustainable production and quality. “Our challenge is to reach out to them and accomplish that they come together,” Taxa says.

The rest of the process would be outsourced: the extraction of the anthocyianin (converting corn cobs into powder) and the encapsulation.

More details

1.    The antioxidant properties of the anthocyianin of the purple corn have been approved by universities in the USA and Japan.
2.    The recommended consumption is one capsule a day
3.    At the offset, Zea Life hopes to export three million bottles every three months. To avoid a decline they will sell the grains of corns like nourishment for birds and the stems as balanced nourishment for beef cattle.

From farm to export
1.    Transportation of the cobs to the manufacturing plant
2.    Extraction of anthocyanin
3.    Transportation to the laboratory
4.    Encapsulation of the anthocyanin
5.    Transportation to the main plant
6.    Pack and label the product
7.    Export

This business idea was a finalist in the Idea tu Empresa competition, which promotes the sustainable business projects by small-time entrepreneurs. Since 2008 the NGO Technoserve has organized Idea tu Empresa in Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile. Learn more at technoserve.com and ideatuempresa.org (in Spanish).

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3 Comments

# jorge meneses m says :
23 July, 2010 [ 02:20 ]

Already known in the supplement world, Zea is bought by consumers for its known healing properties.
Two sites follow:
Jorge

PURPLE CORN: ANTI-INFLAMMATORY, ANTI-OXIDANT

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PURPLE CORN. GRAIN Zea mays L. ´Kculli´ can be used to control high blood pressure. Recent experimental.
www.inkanatural.com/.../arti.asp?...purple-corn... - Estados Unidos - En caché

Purple Corn: Ancient Healing Food

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16 Oct 2007 ... It all starts with the source of the Purple in the Corn: an antioxidant flavonoid called C3G, proven to be among the most potent ...
purplecorn.wordpress.com/ - En caché - Similares

# Roger Ruiz de Castilla G. says :
4 August, 2010 [ 09:09 ]

The anthocyanins from purple corn are recognized for the nutraceutical industry for their high antioxidant value, I think this product has not yet made the leap industrial or commercial, so it is a great opportunity for entrepreneurs who want their marketing. Spray Dried technology is appropriate technology for this product.

I am interested in marketing from purple corn cobs. We have experience in food and nutraceutical sector and we could supply the raw material of anthocyanins in high quality. Can be contacted at email

rogerruizdecastilla2009@yahoo.es

Sincerely,

Roger Ruiz de Castilla Guillen

# ROGER HAZELDINE says :
19 August, 2010 [ 12:58 ]

I would like to offer working capital for this project, you can contact me on my email. rogerhazeldine10@hotmail.co.uk. i am at present living in England. my name is Roger Hazeldine. hope to hear from you.

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