Food Producer Network | EN español

Puerto Rico

We remain dedicated to the people of Puerto Rico.

After serving nearly 4 million meals in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017 through #ChefsForPuertoRico, WCK conducted an agricultural assessment of Puerto Rico and found that a vast majority of the island’s food - 85% – was imported from the mainland. After conducting a Rapid Agricultural Assessment, WCK determined that the best way to support Puerto Rico’s food system was by helping the local food community. Our Food Producer Network aims to increase food security on the island by providing funding, training, and networking opportunities to smallholder farmers, fishers, and other food-related small businesses that purchase their produce or distribute food at a local level.

When the Food Producer Network was launched in September 2018, our immediate goal was to help our grantee partners revitalize their operations after the catastrophic damages suffered from hurricanes Irma and María the year before. Today we are looking beyond disaster recovery and to the future of food systems as we help our grantee partners contribute to a system-wide increase in food production capacity and food security, over and above pre-hurricane levels.

With a strong support of sustainable practices throughout the supply chain, the Food Producer Network is already contributing to improved access to locally produced food for all Puerto Ricans. We aim to strengthen the overall food economy and help reduce the island's high rate of food imports. In the process, we are also helping the island’s food system build resilience against future disasters.

In addition to grants, the Food Producer Network offers our partners access to a variety of networking and capacity-building opportunities in the areas of agriculture, fisheries management, and core business skills to help them get their products to market more efficiently and profitably. WCK also connects interested grantees with visitors to the island who wish to volunteer on the farms to provide crucial human capital and form part of a growing agritourism industry. We encourage volunteers to explore all the wonders rural Puerto Rican communities have to offer – take a peek at our Foodie Guide to Puerto Rico below.

WCK has committed $4 million to the Food Producer Network in Puerto Rico through 2023.

Applications for the Food Producer Network in Puerto Rico open twice a year, in the spring and fall. For more information, please contact us at fpn@wck.org.

FPN by the numbers:

$ 3.7+ Million

Awarded via 234 grants

7,900+

Hours of learning and networking

1,015+

Volunteers on farms and at events

apply here

Foodie Guide

Puerto Rico is home to some of the most delectable eats in the Caribbean, from slow-roasted pork to tantalizing tropical fruits, and some of the best rum and coffee in the world.

Explore The Island

Puerto Rico Grantees

Get to Know the Grantees

2020 Grantees

AGG Corporation

AGG Corporation employs a sustainable approach to soil practices in their farming and hydroponics work, and grow a combination of leafy greens, herbs, bananas, and root vegetables.

Agro Research

Agro Research is a livestock farm in Hormigueros, where Wanda Cruz and Edwin Avilés raise cattle, sheep, and goats for meat.

Agropek LLC

Agropek is a small farm in the southern part of Puerto Rico, specializing in herbs, lettuces, and avocados.

Al Sol de Hoy

The mission of Al Soy de Hoy is to promote food security through education and the production and distribution of agricultural products harvested in Puerto Rico.

Alexander Maldonado Ríos

When it comes to fishing, Alexander Maldonado Ríos is a master of the craft—he fishes for deep-sea fish, lobster, conch, and cetí, a native Puerto Rican fish species.

Alexis Loyola

Alexis fishes near Mona Island for two to three days from sunrise to sunset looking for Queen Snapper.

Andy's Farm Inc.

Andy's Farm is a family company led by Eduardo and his mother Nancy, who are dedicated to food production mainly through hydroponic systems. They grow cilantro, lettuces, bell peppers, and cubanelle peppers.

Apiario Naymar, Inc.

José Rijos handcrafts the many wooden hives that swarms of wild bees flock to, in addition to tending the wild hives that are rescued and brought to the apiary.

Asociación de Agricultores del Área Noroeste, Inc.

This non-profit institution was incorporated in 2012 by a group of farmers, and began a heavy agricultural machinery rental program as its main service and source of financing in 2014.

Captain Roberto Silva

Roberto Silva is a certified commercial fisher and US Coast Guard Captain, with more than 30 years of work in the industry.

Community Through Colors (La Finca de Hamberto)

Founded in 2017 in response to the devastating Atlantic hurricane season, Community Through Colors’ mission is to bring disaster relief to remote, isolated, and under-served coastal communities. La Finca de Hamberto is their Vieques-based hub.

Conejera Rabitos

Conejera Rabitos is a rabbit farm and slaughterhouse, in combination with a hydroponics growing operation.

Cundeamor

Antonio Rosa started Cundeamor by selling products from his family's farm at El Mercado Libre in Santurce. After Hurricane Maria, Cundeamor began helping other farmers get their products to market, organically creating a much-needed distribution network.

De Hoyos Farm LLC / Siembra la Tierra

Siembra la Tierra is an agro-industrial company dedicated to growing and harvesting bananas and plantains and using them to manufacture gluten-free culinary products.

Desde Mi Huerto

Desde Mi Huerto is the largest organic seed producer in Puerto Rico.

Edwin Arroyo

As a fisher in Vega Baja, Edwin Arroyo goes after the deep sea fish that require special equipment and a particular skill. Throughout his 25 years of experience, Edwin has been a strong believer in the importance of sustainable fishing practices.

Emilio Hernández Ríos

Emilio Hernández Ríos is a farmer in Aguada who grows an assortment of crops, including plantains, yam roots, papaya, breadfruit, and herbs.

Finca Aquaverde Inc.

Juan Dominquez and his wife Nadia Vera are the proud owners of Finca Aquaverde Inc. in San Germán, where they grow fruits, root vegetables, leafy greens, and microgreens, and make their own kombucha.

Finca Curbelo López

At Finca Curbelo López in Jayuya, third generation farmer Luis Curbelo and his partner Noelia López grow bananas, vegetables, flowers, and seeds.

Finca Guatibirí

Due to the continued threat posed by severe hurricanes and other effects of climate change on Puerto Rico, Carlos Torres focuses on growing crops that are resilient to extreme weather conditions on his farm Finca Guatibirí.

Finca Tanamá

David Rivera comes from a family of farmers, and he bought Finca Tanamá from his father and uncle several years ago. He now uses the practices of urban farming and hydroponics to grow delicious passionfruit and herbs.

Francisco Martinez

Francisco started fishing at the age of 16 in a paddle boat and devoted himself to fishing for snappers and deep-water species, purchasing his first motorboat — named Menayra — at 18 and earning his commercial fishing license.

Ganadería Buenos Aires LLC

Agronomist Miguel Carrero Caro founded Ganadería Buenos Aires LLC, a farm dedicated to raising grass-fed cattle for beef production and breeding improvement, in 2018.

Granja Kelly Ann

Granja Kelly Ann – a former chicken farm that had been abandoned and left desolate – was rescued in 2018 by Hector Neftalí Rivera, and he now grows cucumbers, eggplants, yucca, and plantains.

Hatillo NovaLact / de la Crema

Two female entrepreneurs, Glorimel and Carmen, established Hatillo NovaLact in 2014 to complement the work of a well-established family-owned dairy farm next door. Their consumer-facing brand De La Crema sells delicious cheeses and fruit yogurts made from Hatillo Dairy milk and locally grown fruits.

Hortalizas Hidropónicas del Oeste

Hortalizas Hidropónicas del Oeste grows fresh herbs, greens, microgreens, and vegetables through the efficient use of water and nutrients via hydroponics.

Jose Chaar

Jose Chaar is a young fisher based in the western municipality of Rincón, sailing the waters in search of catch to sell to restaurants and hotels.

Katahdor

In 2017, Rosa Martínez founded her farm, Katahdor, with one orphan lamb. Now, Katahdor is a successful operation raising lambs for meat production.

Leonardo Estrada Ferrer

Leonardo Estrada Ferrer runs a five-acre, agroecological farm in Lajas where he grows a variety of fruits and vegetables, including papaya, tomatoes, cucumber, squash, cabbage, and ginger.

Masa Madre LCC / Levain Artisan Breads & Bakery

Joy and José are dedicated to the production and sale of European-style artisan breads that are free of additives and preservatives and are made with high-quality, locally sourced ingredients.

Moica Farm LLC

Moica Farm — named after its owners Moisés and Carla — is a family-operated agroecological farm in northwestern Puerto Rico, specializing in tropical fruits, vegetables, and herbs.

Organia LLC

This family-run agribusiness started by Rodolfo and María supports agricultural producers around southeastern Puerto Rico by providing important agroecological inputs for soil fertility and productivity, like compost.

Oro Verde Inc.

Grisela Moreno and her husband Joel Vega, own Oro Verde Inc., a farm in Aguada that practices sustainable farming techniques as they grow vegetables and raise small livestock.

Pescadería Kadmiel / Kadmiel Fish Market

La Pescadería Kadmiel has been serving fresh, local, and responsibly sourced fish and seafood to the Húcares beach community for eight years.

Pescadería Zoé

Fishers on the small island of Vieques did not have a way to sell their catch to customers, so Pescadería Zoé began purchasing fish and reselling it, along with their own catch, both to restaurants and directly to consumers.

Pescado To Go

Zejek Cantellops founded Pescado To Go so that he and other local fishers could sell their catch directly to consumers and restaurants, rather than relying on third-party vendors.

Pio-Pio Farms

Third-generation farmer Xavier Martínez administered his grandfather’s guinea hen farm for years before starting Pio-Pio Farms, a poultry hatchery in Cabo Rojo.

Puerto Rico Agrotech

Agrotech is on the site of a farm that was in operation for more than 50 years before Hurricane María, when it was abandoned. Husband and wife team, Pedro and Patricia, set out to rescue not only the productive lemon trees that remained there, but also to rehire eight people from the community around the farm.