Where Does the Best Maca Root Come From?

There’s no shortage of vendors of nutritional supplements derived from superfoods, The Maca Team included. Maca root is good for you, and any maca is as good as the rest, right?

Wrong! As word of maca powder’s reported health benefits becomes more commonly known, more sellers of maca products are cropping up in the health food marketplace. As with any health food trend, there’s always someone out there looking to make a quick buck, resulting in some less-than-ethical practices.

In addition to avoiding low-quality products, sourcing your food conscientiously is an important first step toward a healthier lifestyle. And knowing where it came from and how it was grown ensures not only that you’re getting the best produce, but also that the community responsible for it has been fairly compensated for their hard work. That’s why we’ve cultivated relationships with local farmers in the Peruvian Andes, bringing you the best quality maca out there. Here’s how it works.

Why Buy Peruvian Maca?

In case you haven’t noticed, we make a point of advertising that the maca root used in all of our products from our maca powders to our liquid maca extracts is exclusively Peruvian-grown. To be more particular, the maca root used to make the products available at TheMacaTeam.com comes from the Junin plateau region of the Peruvian Andes. That’s where our maca is grown by a local co-op of farmers relying on sustainable farming methods used by agrarian societies for generations, giving their fields time to rest and replenish between harvests.

So what makes Peruvian maca so special? Restrictions on GMO foods by the Peruvian government were introduced (and have since been renewed until 2035) in order to grant Peruvian consumers the ability “to make adequate and enlightened decisions” regarding the food they put in their bodies.

Today, you can easily find maca that’s been grown in other parts of the world like China. Maca root (or something like it) has even been recreated with limited success in laboratory environments. But maca root isn’t just produce in Peru, it’s a valuable cultural commodity. Current agricultural policy in the country aims not just to prevent the exploitation of culturally significant food products like maca root, but to ensure that the food Peruvians consume is as safe and healthy as possible. And that priority of safety extends to the food products that are leaving Peru - foods like maca root.

What Makes The Maca Team’s Maca Special?

Maca root is such a valuable cultural and economic product that the Peruvian government has banned the export of whole maca plants as well as roots and seeds, which significantly impacts the way our maca reaches you.

Harvested at the peak of the season, our organic maca root is certified Fair Trade and non-GMO. It undergoes minimal processing before being shipped to us in small batches that allow us to ensure that our customers are getting the freshest maca possible. That means our maca roots are sorted by color - red, black and yellow - before being sun-dried and ground into powder for export. It’s a simple procedure, very nearly the same the original farmers of maca root would have used, and we think that’s one of the best things about it.

If you have any questions about our maca, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us using our web form, or call us toll-free at 888-919-8616.

Enjoy the Day!