Lucuma is grown throughout the Peruvian Highlands where the plant originates and has been grown for hundreds of years by the communities in these areas. The tree can grow up to 65 feet in height and produces globous fruit, similar in shape to a lemon and in shades of brown, green, and yellow. In powder form, the fruit is easy to use, can be added to almost everything, and is high in iron, zinc, beta carotene, vitamin B3 and calcium.
Lucuma grows best in tropical environments, making the Peruvian Highlands a perfect source. While the tree prefers a tropical climate, it does well when the temperature is relatively cool and water is abundant. The tree can reach up to 65 feet tall with greyish brown bark and grows short brown hairs at the ends of its branches and stems. The leaves are simple, oval in shape, about 10 inches long by 4 inches wide, and grow small greenish-white flowers between them. Lucuma fruit is round in shape with a pointed end similar to a lemon but with smooth skin that matures into shades of brown, green, and yellow.
The pulp is bright yellow in color, dry and creamy in texture and contains a few large dark brown seeds. When the fruit is mature, the lucuma is harvested by hand to avoid damaging the fragile skin and is sent to a nearby facility. Upon receiving, the fruit is cleaned, peeled, and split open to remove any seeds. The pulp is then chopped into pieces, dried until the moisture level is extremely low, milled and sifted into a fine powder.
Produced from fully tree-ripened lucuma fruit, grown by independent farmers in Peru. Pitted, sliced, dried, and milled to a uniform powder, without the addition of carriers or flow agents.