Putumayo Foods

Colombian, Alejandro Roa, met New Zealander, Charlotte Read, when she was promoting Villa Maria's wines of New Zealand at a wine store in Shanghai back in 2011.

Their first conversations were about cooking and enjoying great food from around the world, and these have continued during the subsequent years they have lived in Shanghai, Beijing and now Auckland. Having just left a role as Commercial Counselor at the Embassy of Colombia in Beijing, Alejandro is now encouraging the Latin American food exporters to share their culinary riches with New Zealanders.

Alejandro and Charlotte have combined their experience and talents to create Putumayo Foods. Their business imports some of the heroes of Latin American cuisine with a carefully curated range featuring the likes of organic chia, acai, quinoa, hand-crafted chocolates, unique spicy sauces, specialty coffees and much more food grown ethically and sustainably that are good for you.