ABOUT PATAGONIA MAQUI:
Patagonia Maqui Berry Company is a South America Exports venture. South America Exports is wholly owned and operated by Marcus Sims. Patagonia Maqui Berry Company is dedicated to the procurement and consolidation of exotic fruits, vegetables, herb products and more that come from South America. Starting with the maqui berry from Chile, we are on a mission to source and provide only the best and highest caliber botanicals to the world marketplace.
ABOUT MARCUS SIMS:
DALLAS, TEXAS
Marcus Sims
I am originally from Dallas, Texas and attended college at the University of Texas at Austin. I have been involved in competitive sports since I was a teenager and as such I developed a keen awareness of staying healthy from an early age. Dedicated to a proper diet and exercise routine allows me to stay active in multiple athletic activities including football, baseball, basketball, racquetball, tennis, snow skiing, snowboarding, water skiing, wakeboarding, hiking and mountain biking to name a few.
After graduating college in 1993, I began a career in mortgage banking and real estate finance that lasted until 2004. During that time, I worked for various banking institutions including Washington Federal Savings based in Seattle, Washington as well as Bank of America. I have originated on a wholesale basis in excess of one billion dollars that was comprised of residential, commercial and construction loans.
In 2004, I decided to branch out on my own and started Key Option, Incorporated. The mission of the company was to source institutional grade commercial properties for the tenant in common (TIC) industry. Working directly with commercial real estate syndicators, my company sourced in excess of $65 million dollars in commercial real estate. I have also personally sourced in excess of $3 million dollars in 1031 exchange investor capital for placement into various TIC offerings.
PANAMA/COLOMBIA:
In December of 2005, I once again took an entrepreneurial leap and moved to Panama City, Panama where I began to investigate the international real estate market. After careful analysis, I decided to pass on real estate opportunities in Panama and moved to Colombia in April 2006 where I lived until September of 2008. It was this time that I was exposed to the power of a rich biodiversity of botanicals that thrive in Colombia due to its strategic location in the world. I once again began to think about a shift in career opportunities as the banking crisis set in around October of 2007. Conducting research on the pending free trade act with the USA, I researched multiple trading opportunities in Colombia including coffee, cocoa, fruits and hardwood products to name a few.
CHILE:
After a brief visit to Chile in 2008, I was introduced to the maqui berry and began to formulate a new business strategy exporting antioxidant botanicals found in South America to the USA and rest of the world. South America is a resource rich continent and has an abundance of exciting and exotic new botanicals waiting to be discovered. The maqui berry seemed like a perfect place to start.
In 2009, I decided to make my next career move and take an entrepreneurial leap into the food ingredients market specializing in the discovery and sourcing of unique antioxidant botanicals that include exotic fruits, vegetables, herbs and ancillary health and wellness products. I sold my home in September of 2009 in Fort Worth, Texas and moved to Santiago, Chile in order to facilitate the coordination and consolidation of raw maqui berry fruit.
Join me in my pursuit of these amazing products as I journey around South America in search of rare and unique fruits, vegetables, herbs and more! Take a look at my travel blog to see our latest discoveries and developments.
MAQUI BERRY HARVEST 2010
