A brief interview with Martín Wielandt, founder of Doble Valle , published in the LUN wholesale market magazine .
On his farm in Mallarauco , in the town of Melipilla, farmer Martín Wielandt has been dedicated to fig production since 2012. Because this fruit ripens very quickly, generating surpluses, he looked for something to do with those he could no longer sell fresh.
"From the first harvest I also started offering them dehydrated," explains Wielandt, who has 12 hectares planted.
Chile has a climate that is very good for figs , because it has distinct seasons: a cold winter, which is favorable for the fruit, and a very warm summer. Furthermore, it is very resistant to drought, he explains.
In 2015, a merchant from a distribution company that bought from him suggested the idea of making fig coffee .
"I had never done it before, so I started researching on the internet and read that it was once used as a substitute for coffee beans when they were scarce during times of war," he says.
His coffee is gluten-free and made from dried figs that are roasted and then ground, allowing consumers to prepare it at home using domestic coffee makers. "For practical purposes, it's the same as whole bean coffee. I sell it to roasters under the Fueguino brand and also in bulk," he explains. It retails for approximately $10,000 per kilo to the end consumer.
Wielandt harvests 90,000 kilos a year , of which 75,000 are sold fresh and 15,000 dehydrated; the latter have a value that varies between $4,000 and $7,000 per kilo, depending on their size.
"I also sell fig tree plants in bags ready to plant in orchards to producers from Arica to Angol, to encourage greater production, because there are very few in Chile," he says.
Producing them is somewhat complex, Wielandt explains. "Normally, fruit farmers harvest their orchards in a couple of weeks, just as they do, for example, with walnuts and peaches. With brebas and figs, the harvest is gradual, between December and January or March and May, respectively. This can pose a challenge for large producers, but not for small producers with up to 15 hectares," he explains.
When planted for commercial purposes, the farmer says, it's not harvested at higher altitudes because the orchard is designed to avoid that. "They're also afraid the fruit will ripen too quickly because they don't know the dehydration techniques. It's very difficult to sell fresh because it's so highly valued, but they can dehydrate it and sell it throughout the year," he adds. He sells in quantities of 100 plants or more, at a price of $4,500 plus VAT.
Many things can be made from dried figs, such as pasta and snacks . For example, Wielandt makes pasta that he sells to bakeries, pastry shops, and ice cream parlors. "I even have a client who makes fig vinegar," he adds.
Publication date: 2023-09-18
Written by Melissa Forno
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