What Do Quinoa, Vegetables, Clean Water, and Amazonian Fruits Have in Common?

What do these products — Amazonian fruits from Colombia, Andean quinoa from Peru, fresh vegetables from Nicaragua, and clean water in eastern Indonesia — have in common?

They are all produced or provided by community-rooted social enterprises supported by the Reciprocity Fund.

Over the past year, the Reciprocity Fund has grown quickly, allowing us to support more social enterprises than ever before. Many of these enterprises are modest in scale, deeply embedded in Indigenous and rural communities, and often overlooked by traditional finance. Together, they reflect the Reciprocity Fund’s core mission: backing community-led solutions that strengthen livelihoods, protect ecosystems, and honor cultural knowledge.

“The Reciprocity Fund intentionally seeks to make loans in places like this, where borrowing options are limited and where modest loans can have an outsized impact.” 
— Ted Levinson, Founder & CEO, Beneficial Returns​

​Below are a few borrowers we’re excited to introduce.

​Puramazonia | Colombia

​Puramazonia is a nonprofit enterprise working with over 100 Indigenous and Afro-Colombian families in Colombia’s southern Amazon. Most producers belong to the Inga, Koreguaje, or Kamentsá peoples and cultivate native fruits such as arazá, copoazú, and sacha inchi using agroforestry systems that regenerate degraded land and protect biodiversity. Through technical training, organic certification support, and value-added processing, Puramazonia helps communities earn higher prices while strengthening stewardship of the Amazon rainforest. A loan from the Reciprocity Fund supports harvest-season working capital, enabling timely payments to producers.

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​UCHON | Nicaragua

​The Union of Horticultural Cooperatives of the North (UCHON) is a second-level cooperative aggregating six smaller cooperatives and working with 677 farming families in Nicaragua’s horticultural corridor. Centered in Matagalpa and Jinotega, UCHON supports smallholders through fair prices, certified processing facilities, and technical assistance in regenerative agriculture. Approximately 26% of members identify as Chorotega, Nicaragua’s largest Indigenous group. With support from the Reciprocity Fund, UCHON expanded production and distribution through new delivery vehicles, increasing farmer incomes and reaching more communities with fresh, locally grown vegetables.

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​SIMPLi | Peru

​SIMPLi is a vertically integrated social enterprise working directly with smallholder quinoa farmers in southern Peru. Nearly 80% of its 541 supplier families come from Indigenous Quechua and Aymara communities. By shortening the supply chain, guaranteeing offtake, and supporting certification, SIMPLi strengthens farmer incomes while preserving native quinoa varieties. Through its Regenerative Pathway Program, farmers transition to organic and regenerative practices that improve yields and protect ancestral Andean farming knowledge. A loan from the Reciprocity Fund supports expanded organic quinoa purchases and timely payments during harvest.

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​Komodo Water | Indonesia

​Komodo Water is a women-led social enterprise bringing affordable, clean water and ice to remote fishing communities in East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. Using solar-powered desalination and ice production, the enterprise serves Indigenous Manggarai farmers and Bajo sea nomads across the Komodo Islands. Communities co-own and operate the facilities, ensuring water costs are reduced, fish spoilage declines, and profits remain local. With a loan from the Reciprocity Fund, Komodo Water expanded two new facilities, improving access to safe water for thousands while strengthening climate resilience tied to both land and sea.

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Different products. Different places. One shared thread: patient, values-aligned capital supporting Indigenous communities’ leadership, dignity, and economic self-determination.

Learn more about the enterprises supported by the Reciprocity Fund — and if you know a business like these, we’d love an introduction.

Explore Who We Fund