UCHU Spice (UCHU) cultivates, processes and exports high quality and sustainably grown varieties of hot peppers, sourced from a network of 300 smallholder farmers in Ecuador and Peru.

The farmers have very limited access to expertise or technology. UCHU gives them access to reliable seed(lings) and shares knowledge about sustainable soil management techniques. Also, UCHU has invested in local processing and warehousing capacity. In this way, the inflow of produce can increase, processed, and stored. More farmers can be part of process and it allows UCHU to focus on higher quality produce, which generates a better price for farmers.

UCHU runs its own seed lab in Ecuador, to develop new varieties and to safeguard ancient ones. From this seed lab, the quality seedlings find their way to the farmers for planting. Each farmer plants over 16,000 seedlings per hectare; after two to three months the hot pepper plants bear the first fruit and can be harvested all year around. UCHU is also piloting organic greenhouse production as well as the introduction of a drip-irrigation system.