The 2023 edition of Corfo’s Transforma Alimentos Catalog has included four ventures supported by IncubatecUFRO – the University of La Frontera’s Business Accelerator – that transform local raw materials into innovative products, with a distinctive seal of belonging to the territories from which the products originate.
Transforma Alimentos is a program that empowers various businesses in the food and beverage industry, recognized as the most innovative of their kind in the national territory. The catalog includes 50 products from the gastronomic world.
“Chile has historically demonstrated innovation in the gastronomic area, and today, having a catalog and counting on four highly innovative businesses in this new guide fills us with pride,” says Cristian Campomanes, General Director of this institution.
“This year, the catalog has the support of ProChile, so it ensures its distribution to the 56 offices that this institution has around the world, and without a doubt, having these four businesses makes us proud as their Business Accelerator to be present in this Strategic Program of Corfo,” emphasizes Cristian Campomanes, general director of IncubatecUFRO.
Potato-based vodka
Kawesqar Spirit is a vodka crafted from potatoes grown and harvested in the heart of Patagonia. Its creator is the entrepreneur Yuliyan Popov, a Bulgarian engineer who has been living in Patagonia since 2001 with his family. He brought this spirit to life using ancestral knowledge passed down by his parents in his native country.
“Kawesqar is a clean, transparent vodka with a hint of sweetness and a long finish on the palate. At sub-zero temperatures, it acquires a viscosity that makes it excellent for drinking in the European style: pure and cold, like a ‘shot’. It can also be used for bold cocktails such as Vodka Martini, Dirty Martini, Bloody Mary, among many others,” emphasized Popov.
The production process begins with the selection of the raw material, its cleaning, grinding, and cooking to make a puree. Then, some ingredients are added for fermentation for one or two weeks, and the first distillation of the ferment is carried out. This process is repeated, and the best alcohol, which has a purity of between 93 and 95%, is separated.
This alcohol, which also transforms the waste from its production into compost – for fertilizer destined for the Patagonian farms of the potato suppliers – is sold in individual units or in packs of 6 glass bottles, each 750 ml.