Global Organics' Wild Agave Syrup

Fixed, 10-year price benefits growers and yields high-quality product for producers

Company: Global Organics Ltd.

Ingredient Snapshot: Global Organics Ltd., a supplier of sustainable, certified organic and fair trade ingredients, has solved the twin problems of fluctuating prices and product adulteration with its newly launched Organic Wild Salmiana Agave Syrup.

Global Organics’ wild agave syrup offers the low glycemic index and density of sweetness found in other agaves, so it works well as a sweetener, binder and browning agent. At the same time, it is an organic product obtained through a process that’s highly sustainable from start to finish.

“Wild Salmiana Agave is the original species historically used to produce agave syrup. It grows naturally and organically in central Mexico,” says Alex Puglia, business development manager at Global Organics. “Wild Agave is so well adapted to its environment that farmers don’t need herbicides, pesticides or fertilizers in the growing process. Both the leaves and piña are used in syrup production creating less biowaste.”

Global Organics sources its organic agave from a project in Mexico that over the last 20 years has helped marginalized, indigenous farmers commercialize their agave crop. Providing fair payments has improved daily life, preserved cultural traditions and removed the pressures to emigrate. Improvement in the farm economy has led to better schools, housing and healthcare. Working together, the community has established a nursery, allowing for a constant source for young agave plants. By staggering plantings, the farmers are able to harvest year round and thus stabilize incomes. With stable production, the project has been able to set a fixed price based on farmers’ cost of production, ensuring a fair wage while reducing the risk of product adulteration that often occurs in blue agave-based product manufacturing.

“Our wild salmiana syrup achieves success on so many levels,” Puglia continued. “First and foremost, we are able to obtain a high-quality product that is produced in an environmentally friendly, sustainable manner. Its year-round growing schedule means a predictable, stable income for farmers, which helps them earn a good living and support their local and regional economy. That all comes together in the type of high-quality product that food and beverage manufacturers expect from Global Organics.”