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Guatemala-Chiapas Trip
Taking advantage of their trip to Guatemala for the CLAC’s annual assembly, Monika Firl of CoopCoffees and Katie Colligan of member-roaster Desert Sun spent the following week catching up with some of our producer partners in the region. They packed their agenda, with plans to meet up with five different groups in five different geographical areas. Everything went more or less as planned in spite of the unfortunate flat tires and unexpected “Todos Santos” detour to catch a glimpse of a wild Day of the Dead celebration! In the end, the trip was a good combination of business and fun – just the way we like to do it at Cooperative Coffees!
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Micho with the new processor |
The first stop after the CLAC meetings was cooperative Santa Anita in the southwest department of Quetzaltenango. The primary purpose of the visit was to update CC's information on Santa Anita's future plans and of current projects and proposals. The coop was very enthusiastic about their new, ecological wet processor they had recently received from roaster Pura Vida. As Santa Anita’s treasurer explained, the machine would save the coop tons of water in the washing – using 500-800 litres instead of the normal 5,000-6,000 – as well as time in the fermentation of the bean. They plan on debuting the processor this upcoming season, and we are eager to hear about the results! Santa Anita maintains their ongoing eco-tourism project as well. Run by the women of the coop, the program includes lodging in a small house and a variety of activities aimed at sharing the knowledge and stories of the coop’s members. |
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After Santa Anita, Katie and Monika skidded over to the little town of Chajul where they discussed with partner coop Asociación Chajulense a variety of issues concerning quality control and product flow. This coop has experienced a number of great challenges in the recent past but has managed to keep production stable and has even increased their export capacity. The women’s artisan group, one of Chajul’s accompanying projects and another source of income for the community, is faring quite well and has obtained legal status. Arcadio, the president/manager – not to mention, a jack-of-all-trades – of the Chajul Association gave Monika and Katie the grand tour of the coop’s grounds. He continually emphasized the importance of teamwork and the involvement of every member for the successful functioning of the cooperative. |
Chajul women's artisan group |
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Horse races on Dia de Todos Santos |
At this point, Katie and Monika’s trip got super interesting, to say the least. Though they had been reassured weeks before that bus services would continue as normal, despite the Day of the Dead celebrations, they woke up to a different reality! Instead of letting the unforeseen news dampen their spirits, they joined the rest of the “santos” in a day full of festivity (assuming their trip would resume as planned the following day). But as fate would have it - buses to Jacaltenango were still on hold for the holidays, leaving Monika and Katie with nothing but their creativity and some helpful locals to get them closer to the next coop visit with Río Azul. After several private mini-bus transfers (complete with a couple of mechanical breakdowns and a flat-tire!), they made it to Jacaltanengo – and were even on time, for which they received congratulatory welcomes from Río Azul! |
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Despite a difficult financial situation, Río Azul has made great strides since Cooperative Coffees’ first visit in 2005. They boast high yields in production and have “seen positive signals,” says one member, after their cessation from the domineering coffee federation of Guatemala. The farmers present at the meeting spoke openly and enthusiastically about their coop and their new reality as direct negotiators in the interenational sale of their coffee. For the first time in their long history, the producers themselves are engaged from start to finish of the production planning, negotiation and sale of their coffee. |
Katie with Rio Azul Board members |
CoopCoffees’ trip finished up in Mexico, with a visit to coops Maya Vinic and Yachil in Chiapas. Katie, a roaster at Desert Sun, offered some of her techniques to Maya Vinic who recently received a Probatino mini-roaster from Peace Coffee. Maya Vinic was also excited to show Monika and Katie the honey project that they’ve been working on.
Like any trip, this one was full of excitement and unpredictable events. Re-connecting with producers was, as it always is, both eye-opening and encouraging. Seeing first-hand what the farmers and coops must go through to get the coffee off the trees, through the processors, onto the ships, and up to our cafes refocuses our perspective on what we do here at Cooperative Coffees. It is a privilege to get to know our partners better and we hope that at the very least, our reports of the trips allow the reader and consumer to feel some of that privilege as well!
