What is "salinerito"

Salinerito is an Ecuadorian brand that represents cooperative companies from the Andean mountain village Salinas de Guaranda in the province of Bolívar. Salinerito is perhaps best known for its cheeses and chocolates, and also sells dried mushrooms, fruits, nougats, marmalade, lamb and alpaca wool textiles, and yarn. The products are sold in Ecuador at local grocery stores and exported for example to Japan and Italy.

Salinerito is known for its model of solidarity economy: The profits are used for improving the business or for social development.

The legal owner of the brand is Gruppo Salinas, the umbrella organization that represents the common interests of the people of Salinas and its six member institutions. Gruppo Salinas is a member of the WFTO.