Entrepreneurs from the Coffee Capital of Southern Peru will be part of the UNKO Craft Fair for the first time, an initiative by Andean Airports of Peru to promote local commerce and the development of local brands.
Juliaca, October 24, 2023 - From October 24 to 31, Andean Airports of Peru (AAP) will hold the UNKO Craft Fair at the Juliaca airport. In its twelfth edition, the event will bring together more than 50 local artisans and producers, including mask makers, textile artisans, and ceramists, as well as artists from Uros and Taquile. For the first time, small coffee producers, recognized nationally and internationally, will also participate.
The Chamber of Commerce and Production of Puno, committed to the development of the productive sector in the region, seeks spaces like this to showcase the potential products of the Puno region. The best producers have been selected to exhibit their products, aiming to open up new markets.
This year, Unko will feature the participation of Tunkimayo and Wayruruni, two coffee brands from small producers in the Putina Punco district, Sandia province (Puno), known as the Coffee Capital of Southern Peru. The majority of its population is dedicated to organic coffee cultivation. Tunkimayo has received national and international awards such as the Speciality Coffee Association (SCA) in the United States and the Gold Medal from the Agricultural Products Valuation Agency (AVAP) in France. These recognitions have allowed the price of their quintal (approximately 46 kilos) to rise from $350 to nearly $1,000.
The "Unko" Fair, a Quechua word referring to a very fine woven tunic that connoted prestige in the Inca Empire, is an AAP initiative that provides local artists and entrepreneurs with a top-level exhibition and sales space within the concession's airport terminals. This allows tourists and passengers traveling through the southern part of the country to appreciate and acquire high-quality pieces with cultural and historical value.
At the end of each fair edition, producers and artisans who stood out are given the opportunity to become part of the commercial mix of airport shops. This encourages their formalization through continuous guidance during the process of becoming AAP tenants.
This is the second time Unko will be held at the Inca Manco Cápac International Airport in Juliaca, for which AAP has formed a strategic alliance with the Puno Chamber of Commerce.
Currently, more than 40% of the commercial spaces in the five airports managed by AAP are occupied by artisans and entrepreneurs, aligning with the company's overarching strategy to transform airports into platforms that contribute as hubs for the development of economic activities that impact the quality of life of the population.
Andean Airports of Peru (AAP)
Peruvian concessionaire that operates and manages the Second Group of Airports in the main cities of the southern part of the country: Arequipa, Ayacucho, Juliaca, Puerto Maldonado, and Tacna.
