Together We Thrive: AIV Hits the Ground Running on the UK PACT Project

Sep 3, 2025
3 min read

Updated: 6 days ago

Thursday, 04th September 2025

By Paula Perrelli dos Anjos

Last week, Amazonia Impact Ventures (AIV) participated in the inaugural field trip of the flagship UK PACT programme. Over the next two years, this initiative, supported by a £1.18 million budget, aims to enhance the competitiveness of Peruvian non-timber forest products (NTFPs). These include aguaje, camu camu, and other high-value species in global markets.

Aldo Soto, AIV’s Co-founder and Managing Director, and Nelson Torres, AIV’s Investment Officer, travelled to Pucallpa, the capital of the Ucayali region. They met with four bio businesses poised to benefit from UK PACT. Their goal was to evaluate these businesses' financial capacities and requirements and to understand the challenges they face.

“A key strength of our business is being on the ground with our partners, seeing what it takes to produce sustainably in the forest. We also recognise the immense barriers they face in accessing international markets,” detailed Soto.

Organic Production: A Closer Look

One of the enterprises they visited is a cooperative that produces organic camu camu along the banks of the River Ucayali. This fruit is renowned for having one of the highest natural concentrations of vitamin C. Aldo and Nelson visited one of the farms that the Cooperative AgroIndustrial Yarinacocha (Coopay) sources from, where they met many of the members.

“We assessed the business, offered tailored technical assistance and will deliver an investment memo to help them qualify for impact-linked finance from us or from other investors in the project,” explained Aldo.

Engagement Effort: Building Connections

AIV is part of a consortium in the UK PACT tasked with strengthening value chains and securing trade agreements. This consortium includes Rainforest Alliance, Terra Nuova, Nature and Culture International (NCI), and Peru’s Association of Exporters (ADEX).

Later in the trip, the AIV team joined members from Rainforest Alliance, Terra Nuova, and the British Embassy in Lima. They visited the four enterprises in the region, learning about their challenges and how the consortium could support them in the coming years.

Everyone involved is committed to ensuring that harvested products meet international standards of quality, legality, and sustainability. The first field trip has set a positive tone for a programme that aims to deliver measurable impacts for communities, biodiversity, and climate resilience.

UK PACT’s Targets: Aiming for Impact

The UK PACT programme has set ambitious targets:

A 20% rise in both sales revenue and volumes for SMEs and cooperatives.
Four new trade agreements, including two with UK partners.
Expansion of sustainable management across thousands of hectares of tropical forest.

We are grateful to our partners and supporters: the UK Embassy in Lima, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ). The UK PACT programme is delivered by Palladium International.

The Importance of Sustainable Practices

Sustainable practices are essential for the health of our planet. They ensure that we can meet our current needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. By supporting initiatives like UK PACT, we contribute to a more sustainable future.

Conclusion: A Collective Effort

At Amazonia Impact Ventures, we believe in the power of collaboration. By working together with local businesses and international partners, we can create lasting change. Our commitment to protecting the Amazon rainforest and improving local lives drives our mission. We aim to connect investors with sustainable projects, mobilising private capital for significant environmental and social impact.

Let us continue to support these vital efforts. Together, we can make a difference.

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