--- Don Arturo, La Selva Member

Nestled in the Lacandon jungle of Chiapas, La Unión de Sociedades de la Selva (La Selva) formed in 1978 as a result of the Mexican agrarian reform movement and the community's demand for increased health, education and social services. The cooperative’s founding farmers and local priests were largely of the Tojolabal ethnic group and valued the “Theology of the Earth” philosophy. Thus, the major goals of the cooperative were two-fold; to achieve self-sufficiency by cutting out local middlemen, and to protect the environment for future generations. Today, La Selva's terrace-cultivated coffee fields conserve land, and their organic fertilizers ensure sustainable production.

Fair Trade certified by Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) in 1988, La Selva is committed to improving the livelihoods of its members and their families, seventy percent of whom are indigenous.

The Fair Trade price has enabled Union de Sociedades de la Selva S de SS to establish various social and productive programs

Productive Investment.
Inspired by increased interaction with other organizations within the Fair Trade system, La Selva has diversified the crops they cultivate, thereby increasing food security for their members.

Credit Program.
La Selva uses the additional income as collateral for securing loans from the local bank during the harvest season. These loans are distributed to members in order to pre-finance their harvest.

Home Improvements.
Members of the cooperative have traded their straw and grass rooftops for cement-block houses and tin roofs.