At a Glance
Location: Junín, Peru
Impact Areas: Sustainable Income, Environment
People Supported:
Indigenous People, Small Producers & Artisans, Rural
Joined NESsT Portfolio:
2015
Joined NESsT Loan Fund:
2020
Overview
In the Andean Highlands, there are few opportunities for employment and reliable income for the subsistence farmers that live in these small, remote villages. Inka Moss is the only Peruvian company that collects and processes, in a sustainable way, sphagnum moss – a natural product that is highly demanded by international orchid growers. The company trains these small farmers to collect the moss and become suppliers in its value chain. The company provides them with fair wages, training, technology, materials and tools, as well as infrastructure development in their communities.
Learn more about Inka Moss and see its impact in the Andean communities where it works. Click on the image above to watch the video.
Results & Impact
8,300
people reached to date
350
remote Andean families employed currently
45,000
people whose livelihoods will improve by 2020
“Thank you to NESsT, Kiva and all the people around the world who trusted Inka Moss and the business model we propose. The funds that you have provided will allow us to continue our growth plans and more importantly, to have more communities in the highlands of Peru become suppliers for Inka Moss, moving out of poverty and improving their overall quality of life.”
NESsT Investment
Inka Moss was founded in 2010 and quickly proved its business model, achieving break-even a year later. The market opportunity for its moss products is strong; the enterprise needs both financial investment and business development support to grow its production capacity and take advantage of sales opportunities in new regions. The company has large clients in the US, Japan, China, Taiwan and UK; all of them are highly satisfied by the quality of the product, which drives the company’s growth in sales.
Inka Moss joined the NESsT portfolio in 2015. NESsT is working with Inka Moss to scale its successful business and increase its social impact, engaging thousands of people in the high Andes as suppliers and employees and ensuring them a reliable source of income for their families.
NESsT supported Inka Moss in developing and validating new technologies that could be used by its suppliers to increase the yield of their harvests. NESsT provided continued rounds of financial investment and leveraged a low-interest loan on the Kiva platform to help Inka Moss purchase equipment to expand production lines and improve collection processes. NESsT also provided the enterprise with non-reimbursable capital to develop land management plans that ensure protection of the environment.
In 2019, Inka Moss became the first company approved for an investment by the NESsT Fund. The patient loan to Inka Moss is enabling the company to expand its production capacity and long-term working capital. This will increase the number of moss collectors from 350 families currently to 900 by 2022. NESsT has been working closely with Inka Moss’ management team to strengthen its financial modeling skills, business projections, giving constant feedback on governance and strategic planning.
Inka Moss has been a constant source of income for vulnerable populations during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company has continued to operate and export moss, while ensuring the safety of its workers and suppliers.