
BIO CONEXION
In 2008, Juan Ignacio Gerardi graduated with a degree in Political Science; determined to dispel the myth that opportunities only presented themselves in developed urban areas, he started to travel across Argentina. Eventually he arrived at the Yacoraite plateau in Jujuy, where he met Dominga, who planted and harvested corn. Juan Ignacio noticed then that the sole purpose of the native people was for their crops to be sufficient to make basic foods to support their livelihood; no one outside of these communities valued what they were producing. It was then that the idea for Bioconexión was born: a cooperative that brings ancestral crops to Argentine consumers, shedding light on their value and worth.
Today there are 16 producers: eight product lines - honey, organic jams, sea salt, olive oil, recovered firewood, dried fruit, oregano, nuts, organic wheat flour, and vinegar - are supported by eight small producers: Dominga, with her corn from Yacoraite; Facundo and his quinoa from La Poma; Walter, with his salt from Las Salinas; Luis, who makes quinoa soup in San Salvador de Jujuy; Lourdes and her peaches from Cipaqui; Isabel, who makes mead (a fermented honey beverage) in Yala; Rolo and his carrots from Ocumazo; and Amancio, who collects wild herbs. Argentina’s most important chefs and bartenders use these products - which are also sold at the Mercado de Belgrano in Buenos Aires, where the cooperative’s first shop opened in 2017.