Our hearts were knit through the Sunflower

Our Board of Directors met each other through their work at the Sunflower Children’s Home in Huayllabamba, Perú (the Sacred Valley).

The Sunflower rescues at-risk children who have lost access to their primary caregivers.  Since 2003, the Sunflower has rescued over 2,100 children.  To learn more about the Sunflower Children’s Home, please visit their website here.

We know that we are standing on the shoulders of giants who came before us.  Special thanks is given to Guillermo and Victoria Gavancho and Leo and Eunice Gavancho all of whom have given so much to benefit the local families within the Sacred Valley, Perú.

The best things in life arise out of the noblest pursuits

Our team’s professional business experience from our private equity roots has taught us to incorporate sustainability into any operation. Sacred Valley Organic was created to accelerate and ensure the continued vitality of the Sunflower Children’s Home, while broadening the scope of its positive social impact throughout the entirety of the Sacred Valley.

In short, through the expansion of SVO’s farming operations and the expansion of SVO Co-Operative Membership, the positive impact we have on the Sacred Valley cannot be overstated.  As Sacred Valley Organic grows through its strategic sourcing relationships here in the United States, the Sunflower and its adjoining communities will be similarly benefited through job creation; education; economic development; and retention of familial relationships.

History of Sacred Valley

0800
January 19

The Chanapata Civilization

The Chanapata Civilization
In Quechua it is known as Vilcamayo, and in Spanish El Valle Sagrado de los Incas. This fertile valley, which has been irrigated by the Urubamba River stretches from Pisac to Ollantaytambo. There is a settlement history going as far back as 800 B.C. with the Chanapata civilization. Great opportunities were given to the local cultures due to some of the best agriculture in the region. As the early tribes of Peru changed over from a nomadic society of hunters to a society of farmers who soon settled, the Sacred Valley was key to the pre-Columbian Peru's development. Some other pre-Incan civilizations that followed later on included the Qotacalla, who lived from 500 to 900 A.D., with the Killke continuing until the Incan domination of the region.
1442
October 19

The Incas

The Incas
The civilization of the Incas began as a tribe founded in the Cusco area where the legendary first Sapa Inca, Manco Capac founded the Kingdom of Cusco around 1200 AD. The area and the state grew as other Andean communites began to play a role in the expansion of the region. In 1442, the Incas were flourishing, namely under the command of Pachacutec, who name literally meant “earth-shaker”. It was he who formed the Inca Empire of Tawantinsuyu which would soon become the largest empire to ever reigh in pre-Columbian America. During this time, the Empire suffered a civil war between two brothers, Huascar and Atahualpa.
1533
October 19

The Spanish

The Spanish
As the Spanish conquerors soon began to seep their way into the land, they took advantage of this civil war and conquered the Inca territory in 1533. Little by little, the conquistadors managed to take over power for the entire Andean region. Sadly in 1572, the fall of the last Incas and their resistance ended at the battle of Vilcabamba. It is beautiful to see how the people of Peru have kept some of the cultural traditions in some ethnic groups such as the Quechuas and Aymara people.
1821
October 19

Independence of Peru

Independence of Peru
Peru's movement toward independence was launched by an uprising of Spanish-American landowners and their forces, led by José de San Martín of Argentina and Simón Bolívar of Venezuela. San Martín, who had displaced the royalists of Chile after the Battle of Chacabuco, and who had disembarked in Paracas in 1819, led the military campaign of 4,200 soldiers. The expedition which included warships was organized and financed by Chile which sailed from Valparaíso in August 1820. San Martin proclaimed the independence of Peru in Lima on July 28, 1821, with the words "... From this moment on, Peru is free and independent, by the general will of the people and the justice of its cause that God defends. Long live the homeland! Long live freedom! Long live our independence!".
2003
January 1

The Gavancho Family

The Gavancho Family
After seeing too many homeless children without parents roaming the streets around Cuzco, Sacred Valley land owners Guillermo and Victoria Gavancho graciously donate and dedicate a portion of their lands for the exclusive use of rescuing and supporting at-risk children.
2004
October 19

Sunflower Children’s Home

Sunflower Children’s Home
Without any utilities or power equipment, the foundations of the Sunflower Children's Home were laid during an expedition of volunteers in 2004.
2017
October 19

Legacy Humanitarian

Legacy Humanitarian
After years of operating the Sunflower Children's Home out of little more than pure love, hard work, and sacrifice, it was time to create a formal charitable organization in Peru. Marilyn Berg (granddaughter of the Gavanchos) and her husband Allen also joined the board of the Sunflower to help her dad Leo Gavancho (son of Guillermo and Victoria) form their formal organization in Peru - Legacy Humanitarian. Knowing that the Sunflower had been stretched beyond their personal means, Allen and Marilyn (US residents) begin their search for a strategic US partner.
2018
February 19

The Safe Harbor Foundation

The Safe Harbor Foundation
Allen and Marilyn meet Joshua Tandy from The Safe Harbor Foundation (a US 501(c)(3)). Formalizing a strategic partnership with The Safe Harbor Foundation establishes the Sunflower’s Children Home as a US based charitable organization, which allows US fundraising efforts. Safe Harbor creates a new website for Sunflower, hosts the first fundraiser gala, and begins to send grants to the children's home in the Sacred Valley (Huayllabamba, Peru).
October 19

Sacred Valley Organic

Sacred Valley Organic
While the generous donations from charitable individuals in the United States helped the Sunflower Children's Home to continue to care for the most needy of children, donations alone would not keep up with the growing needs of the impoverished children in the Cuzco area of Peru. The team from The Safe Harbor Foundation teamed up with the growth team from a private equity group (Build Capital Partners), and evaluated ways to accelerate the sustainable footprint of its charitable operations in Peru. Armed with the knowledge that the Gavancho family controlled over 200 acres of farmable land in the Sacred Valley, that the UN has proven that agriculture can be more effective to reduce poverty than other actions, and having strong relationships with socially conscious US brands looking to responsibly import agricultural products...Sacred Valley Organic was created in October 2018.