Published by Leonardo Calcagno
In collaboration with canenpak. The leading supplier of sustainable solutions for the Canadian food and beverage industry
Visit canenpak at SIAL at booth 2854.
Can you tell us about your background and your company?
Margarita Cabal – Business administrator born in Colombia. I consider myself a “mountain woman by heart”, not only because of my farmers’ roots but also because of the work I’ve been developing for the last years with rural women in the high Andean mountains to protect the Paramos. Paramos are endangered ecosystems that produce 70% of all fresh water for millions of people and are home of a unique biodiversity. The regenerative model created with the small-scale farmers to protect the Paramos has been recognized and awarded by important national and international organizations such as PNUD, Latin America Green Awards, FedEx Small Business Grant and ENCAMPO/Fundación Bancolombia, among others. This was the inspiration that led me to create Paramo Snacks.
Paramo Snacks, is a company that through our innovative snacks of excellent quality and flavors, seeks to generate triple impact, working together with small-scale farmers to protect the most valuable resource on earth: WATER
We introduced “GOOD CHIPS”, deliciously crispy PLANT-BASED chips that are BAKED, oil-free, with no added sugars and with just few ingredients. Our chips have not only an amazing crunch but also an inspiring cause. We ensure direct purchase from small-scale farmers and at fair prices and additionally, we invest 2% of all our sales to continue supporting the protection of the PARAMOS, an endangered and irreplaceable ecosystem that provides water for millions of people.
GOOD CHIPS by Paramo Snacks stands for GOOD TASTE + GOOD CRUNCH + GOOD CAUSE.
GOOD CHIPS by Paramo Snacks was selected by consumers as “Product of the Year 2020” in the healthy snacks category (POY/Nielsen) and is one of the top 10 SIAL INNOVATION 2022 finalist.
How did your company and industry respond to the covid-19?
The pandemic had a great impact on the projected sales of our products, particularly because we launched GOOD CHIPS by Paramo Snacks at the beginning of 2020. We decided to focus all our efforts on strengthening our product portfolio through R&D to expand the number of flavors and to make our brand more competitive while waiting for the market to reactivate. We also updated our branding to better communicate the benefits and key messages of the brand in a more impactful way and with brighter and more modern colors to differentiate the products at the point of sale.
How has your company and industry changed, because of the pandemic? Any new opportunities? any new way to do business?
The pandemic raised awareness and mobilized many organizations, both private and public, to take urgent and concrete actions to support small businesses and ventures like ours because of the social and environmental impact. Thanks to the economic support and the strengthening through grants from these organizations, we found the “oxygen” that helped us get ahead in the most difficult times for the company. We are witnesses that SDG 17 – Partnerships for the Goals is perhaps the most powerful goal to encourage many companies to achieve greater social and environmental impact.
What can we expect from your company at the SIAL? (new product, services, more)
We are introducing new and exited flavors of plant-based crispy and baked chips with social and environmental power. Delicious flavors of baked and oil-free chips of fruits & veggies like organic yacon, organic beets, organic cauliflower with aged cheese, baked criolla Andean potatoes with chili-lime, crispy pineapples, and baked sweet plantains. We are so excited to announce that our baked organic Beets with Yacon Chips have been selected as finalists in the SIAL INNOVATION 2022 competition for their naturalness and authenticity and for our relevant commitment to sustainable development. We are very exited with this recognition, and we are looking forward to the announcement of the final winners in a few days during the show.
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