Asociación Barillense de Agricultores, Guatemala
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We are very thankful to Asobagri for helping us resolve the needs we had as a community when we didn’t think we would be able to by ourselves. This sort of job should be done by the government, but isn’t. But because we are organized as a cooperative and work together, we can now transport the coffee out of our community easily. It used to cost a lot to get it out and was hard and arduous work. Our children and wives had to help us carry our crops over an hour to get to a truck that would then carry to coffee to facilities. We are very happy and soon this road improvement project will be complete. It is really worthwhile to continuing working “fair”!
--- Sebastián Lucas Pascual, ASOBAGRI Member Located in the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala, 200 miles north of Guatemala City, ASOBAGRI was founded in 1989 by 20 K’anjob’al Mayan coffee and cardamom farmers. A period of political violence and increasing poverty followed, during which many small farmers abandoned their land. Since then, however, ASOBAGRI has grown stronger year after year. The co-op grows high-quality, shade-grown coffee using organic compost. Since becoming Fair Trade Certified by Fairtrade Labelling Organizations International (FLO) in 1999, ASOBAGRI has enjoyed significantly higher revenues.
The Fair Trade premium has enabled Asociación Barillense de Agricultores to establish various social and productive programs.
Education:
The cooperative’s fund for education provides scholarships and school supplies to nearly 75 children. ASOBAGRI also began a literacy campaign to address the lack of access to education of its its members which includes offering annual reading and writing workshops.
Productive Investment:
ASOBAGRI trains and hires promoters, agronomists and extensionists to conduct site visits, inspect farms and give workshops in organic production and quality control. These professionals also train farmers in coffee milling, drying, sorting, and handling to align their techniques with the cooperative’s quality guidelines. Each year, members are eligible to receive assistance in buying new equipment for the wet milling of their coffee (depulpers), construction of drying patios, machinery and infrastructure for the production of organic coffee and funds to increase the amount of shade coffee produced. An ASOBAGRI community started an apiculture pilot program, and members now sell honey to the local market. In addition, a technical assistance team teaches members to inter-crop bananas and citrus trees with coffee plants, helping farmers avoid economic dependence on a single crop and enhancing soil fertility.
Health:
The cooperative has dedicated a portion of its premium to helping members pay for health care services. Members are also assisted financially in cases of natural disaster or deaths in the family.
Transportation Improvements:
ASOBAGRI has repaired and contracted several roads within the community, making it easier for members to transport products from their farms to the central headquarters.
Women's Programs:
The cooperative provides women with loans to help them start small businesses. There are now more than 50 female-owned businesses including embroidery and clothing stores that supplement families’ incomes. Many women in the community have also been granted loans to raise domestic animals, helping to diversity and improve family diets. |
Fair Trade Coffee 
