A company born out of a development project

The Mountain Fruits Company (MFC) was founded in 2000. It grew out of a development project run by the Aga Khan Foundation. The aim was to improve the economic prospects of small-scale farming in the remote mountainous region of Gilgit-Baltistan.

To this day, MFC continues to pursue this mission. The company processes and exports organic and Fairtrade-certified dried fruit, nuts and nut oils, thereby creating additional income opportunities for smallholder farmers in the region. In Pakistan, MFC is currently the only company with this combination of organic and Fairtrade-certified processing and export operations.

Farming in a high-altitude mountain region

The growing regions are located in Gilgit-Baltistan, in the far north of Pakistan. The region forms part of the geopolitically disputed territory of Kashmir and borders India and China. Farming takes place here in high-altitude valleys on the edge of the Karakoram mountain range. This mountain range includes some of the highest peaks in the world, including K2 and the summits of Gasherbrum I and II.​

In these valleys, numerous smallholder families cultivate their fields and orchards. Many of them are members of the Mountain Fruits Farmers Association (MonAFFA). In total, the network comprises around 65 men’s groups and 10 women’s groups, which belong to various Fairtrade associations depending on the valley and are jointly represented by a MonAFFA executive committee.

Organic farming under simple conditions

The region has a long tradition of avoiding the use of pesticides and artificial fertilisers. On the one hand, these inputs are scarcely available locally. On the other hand, they would be financially unviable for many farming families. As a result, farming methods have developed that make do with simple means and rely heavily on local resources.

Local processing and value creation

The almond harvest takes place in September. MFC buys almonds in their shells from around 1,400 almond growers in the region.

The almonds are cracked and undergo an initial sorting process by machine in a processing plant. They are then carefully sorted by hand. This work is mainly carried out by women.

The variety of local almond varieties

The almonds from Gilgit-Baltistan are mainly derived from local, wild varieties. They differ significantly from standardised almonds from major growing regions such as California or Spain.

Around forty different varieties of almond are grown in the region’s orchards. Consequently, the kernels vary in size, shape and colour. Many of these smaller-kernelled varieties are known for their comparatively sweet taste and reflect the great genetic diversity of the traditional orchards in Gilgit-Baltistan.