Coffee
We are working closely with the local coffee cooperative, Asociación Chajulense, to replace 300,000 old coffee plants with new ones this year. While a changing climate continues to present new challenges for coffee production, the cooperative has found that younger plants are more resilient against these volatile conditions and more resistant to pathogens. Our goal is to help Asociación Chajulense replace 20% of its coffee plants this year, and to maintain our long-term commitment to the association as it continues replacing older coffee plants with new ones each year.
Women’s Savings and Microcredit
ACMUV, the very successful Chajulense Women’s Microcredit Association, has created a new Women’s Microcredit Organization, COMUVI. COMUVI is a Microcredit Cooperative. Unlike an Association, a Cooperative in Guatemala can operate exactly as a bank. This means that COMUVI can offer interest bearing savings accounts to local residents that will generate far more capital for loans to the local community. ACMUV can offer larger loans to individuals and smaller groups of women. Women from the association who have had successful business experiences will become eligible to join the Cooperative as individuals and access larger loans.
We are supporting this organizational restructure by hiring a consultant to advise the entire process: organizational development, administration, finances, credits, loans along with the guidance of our program director.
Visión Guatemala
Visión Guatemala Atitlán is an indigenous women’s group, located in San Juan la Laguna on the shores of Lake Atitlán. In 2022, we introduced Visión Guatemala Atitlán to ACMUV, the very successful microcredit program that we have been supporting in San Gaspar Chajul. The meeting was so successful, a similar project almost replicating the ACMUV program has begun in San Juan la Laguna.
Visión Guatemala hopes to provide enough small loans that will generate enough interest to contribute toward their own sustainability. Visión Guatemala has our support, ACMUV, and COMUVI to help them achieve their goal of reaching financial sustainability in 5 years.
Will we see you in Portland next month? Our team is headed to the Specialty Coffee Expo, April 21-23. We'll be exhibiting at Booth #842, please stop by!