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Cafe Cambio in Guatemala
CoopCoffees member-roaster Cafe Cambio from Chicoutimi, Quebec, Canada sends us their greetings from Guatemala. In the report below (translated from French), they describe some of the activities they've participated in despite the prohibitive rainstorms that are currently inundating the country.
It’s 6pm; the sun begins to set as we make our way to Chajul which sits at an altitude of about 6000 feet. We’re at the heart of the Ixil triangle, one of the most lively Mayan centers in Guatemala. In the little village where we are graciously welcomed, the Chaulese Association – the group we are looking for – is well-known by all. Val Voq Quyol (the association’s other name which translates to “one united voice”) has been around for 20 years and now consists of more than 2500 members, most of which are coffee producers. The association has its hands in other projects as well – one of those being the inn in which we stayed. They have also set up cheese-production, a community radio station, and an association of women artisans.
The next day, we wake up at 6am to the morning call of the roosters mixed with the excited barking of the dogs. Misty-eyed and slowly waking up, we make our way through the town to meet with Miguel Tzoy, the commercial coordinator, who will explain the association’s history. Later, Eduardo guides us through the colored streets of the public market. Our plan: to discover every area connected to the association.
While visiting different facilities and meeting members of the Chajulense, we soon discover that our attempt to investigate the group and how it functions would be harder than we expected. Since we arrived quite early in the season, the coffee grains are not yet ready for harvesting, the processing plant is still empty, and work on the fields has yet to begin. Nonetheless, the lack of activity makes it possible for the leaders to spend time with us.
In a neighboring village, Sebastián, a producer, takes us for a visit to his plot of land which teeters on a steep and cloudy mountainside. We’re surprised by the individual nature of these farms; unlike the typical plantation-style production where the fields carry on past the horizon, this land is divided into small plots and cultivated by each farmer and his family, individually. The cultivation is all organic and trees line the fields. The coffee plants are filled with plump, green grains - promising signs for an abundant harvest. Each producer is responsible for the first step in the processing of the coffee. Sebastián invites us to his home to see some of his own installations: a manual coffee cherry de-pulper, a concrete fermentation tank, and a drying patio – the basic infrastructure necessary to render pergamino. From there, the coffee is sent to the processing plant where it will be cleaned, sorted and bagged - transformed into green coffee ready for export.
In the following days, we visit the women’s association to watch them design and construct the various traditional textiles. We also stop by the creamery where producers make an Italian-type cheese, which will be sent to and sold in the capital.
After five full days with Val Voq Quyol, it’s already time to move on from our friends in the Cuchumatanes mountains to visit a different cooperative working in eco-tourism. As we write you, a tropical storm takes Guatemala by assault. The flooding and landslides paralyzes the country, making the roads impassable. We will stay put for another three days, waiting for the deluge to pass…
To be continued…
Geneviève, Johanne, Marc-André, Virginie, Stéphanie, Magalie
