Top-quality, fair-trade agave syrup from Mexico
The Mexican company PSA – short for Productos Selectos de Agave – exports fair-trade, organic agave syrup all over the world. Their headquarters are located in Zapopan, a town on the outskirts of Guadalajara in Central Mexico.
The company has complete control over its entire production chain. From the agave plantations to the processing facility and from the bottling facility to the export of the agave syrup. PSA also produces tequila, the typically Mexican spirit for which agave is the principal ingredient.
The heart of the agave
Fair-trade and ecology go hand in hand
Although PSA was only certified (info in Dutch) by Fairtrade in 2017, it has been committed to the development of the community ever since it was founded, with a focus on equal opportunities and improved working conditions. PSA puts its employees and labourers first, investing in social development projects – such as schools and care institutions – in the communities surrounding the factory and agave fields.
Organic cultivation, quality assurance and eco-friendly practices are also firmly anchored in the organisation’s philosophy.
- PSA’s processing facility provides its own energy, acquired via solar panels on the roof.
- In production it actively minimises its use of water. Agave juice must be continually heated to produce syrup. This is done by a system of aluminium tubes through which hot water flows. Save for the water that evaporates, it’s always the same water – originating in its own water reservoir – that circulates through the pipes.
- The agave fibres left over after pressing the agave hearts don’t go to waste, either. PSA has these recycled into paper, labels and cups.
Productos Selectos de Agave & Oxfam
- The Oxfam-Wereldwinkels Partner Committee, which thoroughly screens all producer partners, approved PSA in June 2020.
- PSA now supplies the 100% natural, organic and fair-trade agave syrup for our own Oxfam Fair Trade brand. It’s also vegan, gluten-free and non-GMO.
- Did you know: agave syrup has a high sweetening capacity, which means you need less than you might think to sweeten dishes. It also has a lower GI than table sugar. A worthy alternative to sugar, in other words!