They start thanks to ginger – Primera Hora

Imagine everything that could be done with Ginger, which is owned by Gargo Julieta.

Since 2017, the two Lourdes sisters, Lily and Vanessa Camarino, have decided to join forces as agricultural businesswomen to grow ginger in the upper Cuesta del Tigre, in the Petahaya district of the municipality of Lucoyo.

Thus, they created a range of 22 artisanal products ranging from juices, teas, juices, snacks, ointments, sauces and candies, all made with ginger and mixed with other natural ingredients.

“When I get diagnosed with Crohn’s syndrome, they start taking my food; my coffee is taken, so I make turmeric ginger tea taking advantage of its anti-inflammatory benefits. They take away the itch and I use it all over, so I make anti-inflammatory gingerbread too. So, I tell my sister Vanessa.” That if she was with me, I would have dared to launch all these products because family and friends would have loved it. We later told Lily, who at the time was an educator and also joined a small group of Krajo Julieta, explained Lorde, 62.

And so, the sisters from Guaynabo began their adventure with ginger from the plantation of Lord’s husband, Javier Cotto, located on the slopes of El Yunque.

“Although we have a small farm in Guaynabo, we loved the idea of ​​starting farming here on the slopes of El Yunque to make a fresher product and ensure a quality product,” commented the older sister.

The ranch stands out among the area’s greenery because of the multiple car tires laid out on the ground that are mostly painted red, save for some white and blue that help make up Puerto Rico’s flag. These tires act as containers for crops, so that they can be recycled and at the same time have a favorable environment for their fruits.

“Tires are first used to help the community because there were a lot of tires lying around and we decided to fit them on my bus and we came to clean and paint them. Plus, because the gum is full of earth, the gingerbread grows and we grow a terrible thing. Rubber also stores moisture and when there is dryness it It stays hydrated for longer,” Lord specified.

After planting and harvesting, comes the creative part of making their products and the sisters draw on what they learned from their grandmother, Manuela Martinez, who created their own healthcare complexion. This is how they continue to create various products for medicinal purposes.

We wanted to go back to the time of Grandma Manuela. From there, we continued to add ginger and turmeric smoothies, ginger and currant juices which, in addition to giving us health, also give us a lot of energy. We also have oil for sore muscles and arthritis, and grandma’s syrup for coughs, sore throats, infections, and immune system boosters. In addition, we make El Coco de Julieta, an oil for dermatitis and dry skin,” explained Lilly Camarino, 60-year-old retired teacher.

The three sisters share a passion for farming the land, but they still enjoy cooking on the stove on their farm while camping for work. This is where ideas for new products that are later marketed are born.

“We made ginger dressing for salads, salmon, and fish. Also guava sauce for meat, for grilling and as a “dip” with fried cheese. With ginger, we also work with jam, coconut fudge, redcurrant fudge, piqué, honey, chimichurri, marinade, passion fruit and ginger mojito and even Juliet’s Tears (cracker), said Lilly, who confirms that “people keep amazed that they say they didn’t I knew you could do so much with ginger.”

Just as they have a great variety of products, the farmers’ work flow is a lot, but they are happy that they work with their hands to help others, and in the same way, they enjoy sharing this adventure together.

“It’s very difficult, there are many hours, but we share and have a good time. Sometimes we are up until 10:00 at night producing. For example: the brew process takes 4-5 hours and it is not easy because he does not open the jars and continues In the shuffling. The three of us sat down peeling and chopping ginger. There are some foods that are scratched, and there are others like boiled tea. We make coconut candy here in the wood-burning stove and cherry candy and other sweets that we make in Guinabo.”

This love that they put into their company, led them to win customers, even last year they increased the volume of their orders after by chance in an interview with Primera Hora it was revealed that Krajo Julieta Grandma’s Syrup, based on ginger, aloe vera, turmeric, honey and lemon, was part Sponsored by The Voice of Daddy Yankee.

“It caught us by surprise,” Lord said, “in the middle of an interview, he said, ‘Bring me what’s mine,’ and when the reporter (Rosalina Marrero) saw the Puerto Rican-flagged container, she asked what it was.”

“This is the hardest of all. This is what I use in my throat and it’s local to Puerto Rico, so they can back it up,” the artist said at the time.

Since then, people have not stopped asking for Grabi de la Abuela, and Camarinos even assert that more artists of the urban genre have joined the fever and asked for their drink, but they have not released any pledge of who they are.

What they confirmed is why they decided to call themselves Krajo Julieta, a mystery that only those who try their products can solve.

“When people tried the products, they said: Expensive… How delicious and that was accompanied by Monica Puig’s expression when she won the gold medal or Tito Trinidad when he beat Oscar De La Hoya… It’s just a cultural thing. From there, I told the girls it was We should call it Krajo Julieta because it’s something more commercial, because people will be curious to know about it,” said Lourdes.

For her part, Vanessa, who was more reserved in the interview, went to the point and commented: “We tell him that Juliet has an accent and that people don’t understand. So we tell them: ‘Krajo Juuulieta’ and then they grab it and laugh.”

For information, you may call 787-243-2793.