In 1994, Peru was raw with violence and uncertainty. Investors were leaving. Jobs were scarce. Poverty hovered around sixty percent. Rosario Bazán had the chance to go too – but she stayed.
“When we are small, we learn to say we love our country,” she recalls. “I had the chance to leave, but I said: I love my country. So I stayed. To contribute with its development.”
That choice set the tone for everything that followed. If she was going to build a company, it would be different. “Profitability cannot be contrary to treating people with dignity.” Three decades later, she is firmer than ever: social impact and profit are not just compatible – they are indispensable to one another.
Rosario co-founded Danper with her husband and a Danish partner – starting with USD 2.5 million and fewer than 100 workers. Today, the company has scaled to roughly USD 400 million in revenue and 14000+ workers (as of 2025), about 50% of whom are women.
“Shared value” – before it had a name
From the start, Rosario ran Danper with one operating rule: create economic value and social value at the same time. She didn’t call it anything. “Academics later gave it the name ‘shared value,’” she says. “And when they recognised Danper, we said: yes – this is what we’ve been doing.”
“There is a tendency in Europe to think sustainability is only climate,” she adds. “But sustainability is also people.” At Danper, that belief shows up in four concrete ways.
1) Education inside the factory
Many employees never had the chance to finish school when they were young. Danper brings school into the plant through a formal alliance with Peru’s Ministry of Education, so adults can complete elementary and secondary education at night or online – without stepping away from a paycheck. Demand hasn’t stayed within Danper’s walls; other Peruvian companies have asked for the blueprint to set up on-site adult schooling in their own plants. Today, 80 companies have followed suit, adopting the initiative of the Ministry, which Danper brought to real practice. “You see people graduating at 20, 25, 30, even 50 or 60,” she says. “How do you plan to be sustainable in the long run if you don’t invest in that precious human capital?”
2) Daily coaching and open, performance-linked pay
On the farm, training turns into performance. New blueberry pickers might start around 25 kilos a day; within a week they’re at 40 -60; with coaching they reach 80-100. Productivity rises, unit costs fall, and bonuses climb 3-4x. Crucially, workers can check their daily weights and pay in an open app. “Everything is transparent – we’ve made it part of our digital backbone,” Rosario says. Trust is the point – and the advantage. It shows up in motivation, lower absenteeism and a cheaper learning curve each harvest as workers return. With higher incomes, parents can invest in their children’s education.
3) Health care from “day zero,” and maternal health without compromise
“From day zero, we had a clinic with a nurse and a doctor,” Rosario says. Public health waits can be long. So, in the fields, Danper operates health stations, invests in equipment like ultrasound machines, and brings care close to where people work. Her litmus test for policy is disarmingly human. “If someone says we can’t hire a pregnant woman, I ask: where are you from? First, they say a country or a town. No – who brought you to this world? Your mother. Now imagine your mother pregnant and a company closes the door. You wouldn’t be here.” Danper never shuts the door on a pregnant woman, and guarantees eight prenatal check-ups, plus pediatric visits once the baby is born.
4) Ergonomics and injury prevention: everyone stops, twice a day
Repetitive work – trimming artichokes, picking blueberries – creates strain if it isn’t managed. Danper made physiotherapy part of operations and instituted mandatory “active pauses.” Twice a day, at the same time, everyone stops what they’re doing and does guided exercises to prevent muscle contraction. Immediate treatment for aches keeps people healthy and on the job; the company avoids long absences and the costs that come with them. “It becomes a virtuous circle,” Rosario says.
“Three years ago, blueberries were projected for producers like us at about $6.50 per kilo. In a supermarket, you might pay the same for 150 grams. If the shelf price rises 25%, who captures it - and why does so little reach the farmer? Competitiveness means getting the right price to small farmers and workers, because food safety starts with the income that lets families improve their conditions. Sustainability goes beyond climate; it’s about social justice across the value chain.”
Rosario Bazán, CEO & Founder, Danper...on price, fairness, and food safety
Why smallholders stay at the heart of the model
Danper owns farms – and still chooses to keep smallholder farmers in the chain, by design. “Smallholders allow us to grow,” Rosario explains. Danper supplies plantlets, agronomy and clear pricing so farmers can plan and invest.
The split varies by crop: high-capex, high-risk products like blueberries, grapes and peppers are 100% Danper-grown, while others like artichoke, green asparagus, mango, and avocado are shared. (In artichokes, for example, the company coordinates a large network of farmers to supply 75% of the retail market of the USA.) Across Danper’s fruits and vegetables overall, roughly 40% comes from smallholders and 60% from Danper’s own fields – a share that can vary by season and crop.
There is a paradox Rosario refuses to ignore: smallholders put food on our tables, yet many lack food security themselves. “We want to contribute to social peace and sustainability,” she says. “We transmit technology to small farmers, together with the tools to get out of the poverty trap in which they are immersed.” Danper imports seeds and delivers small plants grown in their greenhouses directly to small farmers, who rely on subsistence agriculture. It teaches them how to increase their yield, so they can become part of the middle economic class. Farmers appreciate that Danper respects contracts and pays the right price – in line with what Danper receives as a producer itself.
Peru’s agrifood rise – context for the model
Only a decade ago, Peru had no blueberry fields. Through technology and innovation, the country has become the number one producer and exporter of blueberries worldwide; it is also the number one producer of table grapes and number two in avocados. In Peru, agribusiness is now the leading generator of employment. Yet poverty still affects about a third of the population, who do not have access to water, sewage, electricity, education, and health. In that context, Rosario argues, agrifood becomes a critical engine for dignified, formal, decent jobs and for lifting family agriculture – the most vulnerable link in the chain.
Women at the center
“After 30 years, I’m still the only female CEO-founder in Peru’s agrifood industry,” Rosario reflects. “Leadership positions have always been for men. It’s taking time to change. On association boards, until about a month ago, I was the only woman among men. But I do see a few women coming – step by step – into high responsibility positions.”
Meanwhile, more than half of field and processing roles at Danper are held by women – often their first entrance into the formal labor market. 36% of homes in Peru rely on women’s incomes. Why insist on policies that make space for women? Because outcomes change at home. “It is proved that 90% of a woman’s income goes to food, health, education of the children – breaking the transmission of poverty.”
Climate shocks and the discipline to adapt
Volatility is not new to Peruvian agriculture, but the last few seasons sharpened the lesson. “For mango, Peru exported only 5% of what was projected,” Rosario says of a heat-driven collapse that hit smallholders hardest. “For blueberries, yields fell 40-50% in a heat event, which made costs skyrocket.” Danper is investing in heat-resistant varieties and working closely with genetics partners to adapt. The company diversifies across markets, processes, products and varieties of different crops to reduce climate- risk exposure.
Looking ahead, UN projections point to a 20% population increase by 2050, and a 60% increase in food demand. “How are we going to fill the gap?” she wonders. Her closing message ties resilience to food security: technology, soil care, high standards and fair retail prices are how food stays healthy, safe, accessible and affordable – even when the weather turns.
The circle of sustainability
When people are well motivated, they perform their jobs with care and precision. “And in our case, producing food means that quality processes are essential.” says Rosario. High-quality processes lead to products that are valued in the market.
“Because we treat our people and our community with respect, we enjoy social peace that allows us to keep growing. The market prefers us: workers want to join us, banks trust us, and customers choose us – because the product is good.”
This keeps the virtuous circle turning: motivated people, strong processes, solid sales, and healthy cash flow. “We reinvest those returns again and again into key assets – our land and equipment, and our people through training and development.”
That’s the formula. And it works.
The investor link
Aligned capital has mattered at key moments – from early development financiers such as IFU, DEG, IDB & FMO. Today, Danper is an investee of the Fairtrade Access Fund, for which Incofin acts as investment adviser – with financing geared toward integrating smallholders and building resilience as climate shocks intensify. For Rosario, the logic remains simple: treat people with dignity and performance follows; invest in resilience and competitiveness endures.
Interview by Shonan Kothari, Marketing and Communications Manager, Incofin Investment Management