Fair and sustainable products from Ecuador​

Matching supply and demand for sustainable products

This is the place to be if you are an importer, distributor, supermarket, retailer or industry in the EU. We are CREA: Facilitating Trade from Ecuador to the EU.

Our services come for free:

  • Quick and easy matchmaking with cooperatives, producers and SMEs.
  • 70 trusted and verified suppliers
  • Products suitable to enter into the EU market
  • 200 food products ready for the EU market
  • Follow-up of negotations
  • Get to know your food chain! To meet your suppliers, we can arrange a visit to Ecuador.

CREA – Camino a la Reactivación del Ecuador Agroalimentario - is an initiative that is co-financed by the European Union. We promote raw materials and value-added products from 8 chains: avocado, banana, plantain, cocoa, coffee, guayusa, soursop and quinoa.

Contact

Get in touch with Miguel at our Belgian office at Rikolto in Leuven. He'll guide you through the whole process.

Time to source better... think Ecuador!

Miguel Escudero

Market Explorer for Ecuadorian Products in Europe Project CREA.

miguel.escudero@rikolto.org

Whatsapp +32484825453

Phone +3216744719

Contact Luis at our Ecuadorian office at Rikolto in Quito for more details on the supply chains.

Luis Soria

Business Management Coordinator Road to the Reactivation of Ecuador's Agrifood and Agriculture Project CREA.

luis.soria@rikolto.org

+59322900318

 Cocoa

 Ecuador is the main producer of fine aroma cacao. It also holds the record for the oldest use of cocoa beans in a heated drink, dating back 5,300 years to the Mayo-Chinchipe Marañón culture. Discover the different varieties and alternatives of the finest flavoured cocoa. And YES, our project is working with farmers to comply with the EU’s latest regulations on deforestation!

A woman voicing her opinion in a cooperative meeting
  • Cocoa: cocoa beans  
  • Cocoa paste (cocoa liquor)
  • Nibs  
  • Cocoa powder
  • Butter
  • Chocolate bars  
  • Chocolate drops

Available in conventional and certified organic, Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance.  

Other products

 Coffee

From the Andes to the Amazon to the Coast, the aroma and flavour of Ecuadorian coffee will take you to every region where men and women grow it. All you have to do is choose your favourite! Our project is working with farmers to be prepared to meet the latest EU regulations on deforestation.

A woman voicing her opinion in a cooperative meeting
  • Green coffee (speciality coffee 82-89 and finest selections 89+)
  • Roasted coffee

Available in conventional and certified organic and Fairtrade.

Other products

 Banana

Ecuador is the world’s largest exporter of fresh bananas. To reduce food waste, and thanks to the versatility of this fruit, several value-added products have been developed. Discover our gluten-free flours, purées, bakery mixes, aseptic products for making baby foods, juices and more.

A woman voicing her opinion in a cooperative meeting
  • Gluten-free flour/powder  
  • Baking mixes
  • Frozen/aseptic purée  
  • Flakes/crunchies  
  • Freeze-dried bananas
  • Dried bananas

Available in conventional and certified organic, Fairtrade and Demeter.

Other products

Plantain

Plantain chips are so underrated. But they are the perfect choice for a party to go with a beer! But wait, there is much more: it is an important source of fibre and a base for making gluten-free flour, dough and delicious dishes.  

A woman voicing her opinion in a cooperative meeting
  • Gluten-free flour  
  • Plantain dough  
  • Chips/snacks (chifles, croutons and patacones).

Available in conventional and certified organic, Fairtrade and Demeter.  

Other products

 Avocado

A trendy superfood for main courses around the world, the avocado continues to conquer the world. Ecuador has the ideal conditions in which to expand this production. Our project helps farmers to measure and reduce their water footprint. This will enable farmers to produce more sustainably.

A woman voicing her opinion in a cooperative meeting
  • Fresh  
  • Frozen paste  
  • Frozen in halves/chunks (IQF)  
Other products

 Guayusa

For centuries, indigenous communities in Ecuador have consumed this native plant of the Amazon rainforest for its energising and healing properties. Guayusa is part of the agroforestry tradition of the Kichwa people of Ecuador.  

A woman voicing her opinion in a cooperative meeting
  • Tea  
  • Powder
  • Guayusa leaves

Novel food authorised so far as an aqueous extract.

Available in conventional and certified organic and Fairtrade.

Other products

Soursop

This tropical fruit’s exquisite and refreshing taste should not be reserved for a select few. We invite you to discover it and taste its tropical flavour. It will enhance your cocktails, juices, ice creams and much more!

A woman voicing her opinion in a cooperative meeting
  • Fresh
  • Powder
  • Frozen purée
  • Dried leaves

Available in conventional and certified organic.

Other products

 Quinoa

A delicious ally in the fight against food insecurity, this gluten-free, nutritious grain has been consumed for millennia by indigenous communities throughout the Andes Mountains, following ancestral traditions and know-how. Curious fact: quinoa has even been the food of choice for astronauts!

A woman voicing her opinion in a cooperative meeting
  • Grain
  • Gluten-free flour
  • Baking mixes  
  • Breakfast cereal/extruded (flakes)
  • Preparations/risotto  
  • Snacks/biscuits
  • Smoothie recipes

Available in conventional and certified organic and Fairtrade.  

Other products

CREA – Camino a la Reactivación del Ecuador Agroalimentario - promotes strategies to strengthen and improve the competitiveness and innovation of MSMEs and producer organisations to open markets for sustainable products in Europe in eight priority chains: avocado, coffee, cocoa, banana, guayusa, green banana, soursop and quinoa. 

The project promotes the socioeconomic recovery of the agrifood sector, in particular of MSMEs and producer organisations, and the inclusion of vulnerable groups, in particular women, young people and people in situation of human mobility. 

CREA is implemented by Rikolto in a consortium with ANFAB (Association of Food and Beverage Producers), COSPE (NGO), KU Leuven and ESPOL (Universities in Belgium and Ecuador respectively). It aims to bring together supply and demand for sustainable products.