GUATEMALA PROJECT

“ Mayan Organic Coffee”
 for a new millennium of peace and solidarity

Key Players

 

The agricultural cooperative “La Terra e Il Cielo” from Senagallia and Arcevia that has been active in organic production and ecology for the past twenty years, and has been fighting for social equality.  It also possesses its own coffee-roasting machine.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Rigoberta Menchu’ Tun’s foundation (See Related Sites).  For those of us who take the future and development of Central America to heart, Rigoberta Menchu’ is the symbol of the natives’ struggle against military and cultural violence and injustice.

A cooperative of small producers of organic coffee in Guatemala named, “La Cooperative de consume integral Canalena Union y Fuerza”.  Its 74 members are primarily made up of Mayans indigenous to Villa Canales and Quiche’.  They produce ten thousand quintals of organic coffee a year.

The Gutemala-Moie collective from Maiolati Spontini (Ancona) that has worked for years in spreading knowledge of the Mayan Culture and the condition of native Guatemalans.  They have developed help and collaborative projects with the country, as well as directly importing cloth and handicrafts

alcuni soci della cooperativa con Rigoberta Menchů e il suo compagno, durante una visita di Rigoberta

The Project

The “Il Caffe’ Biologico dei Maya” project for a new millennium of peace and solidarity was born when the Guatemala-Moie collective, which had already been in contact with Rigoberta Menchu’ Tun for many years, accompanied him for a visit to “La Terra e Il Cielo”.

The goal is to develop a network of direct and equal importation according to the principles of fair trade.  This will guarantee a secure position for the small producers’ coffee on the international market while avoiding various middlemen, who usually take a large part of the profit.

The Guatemalan cooperative will join the one from the Marches to create a transnational cooperative in a spirit of real and practical cooperation between countries from distant and diverse parts of the world.

La stretta di mano in Guatemala fra il presidente della cooperativa La terra e il Cielo e il rappresentante di uno dei gruppi di produttori della cooperativa Union y Fuerza

 

The Various Roles

The Guatemalan Cooperative produces the coffee, harvests it, and processes it to “caffe’ oro” (gold coffee), which is a preparatory stage for the roasting process.

Menchu’s foundation controls the quality of the product and coordinates its exportation.

The cooperative “La Terra e Il Cielo” handles the roasting, packaging, and sale of the product in Italy and the areas covered in the company’s trading network abroad.  The packaging will contain the logo of Rigoberta Menchu’ Tun’s foundation, which means part of the profits will be set apart for development projects for the Mayan population.

The Guatemala-Moie collective is a natural go-between for the project since it is continually in contact with Rigobeta Menchu’s foundation and the Guatemalan situation.

 

 

Check your local libraries and resource centres for Rigoberta Menchu’ Tun’s books.

 Mi chiamo Rigoberta Menchů Tum   -   Edizioni Giunti

 Rigoberta, il mondo, i Maya   -   Edizioni Giunti

 La bambina di Chifel   -   Edizioni Sperling e Kupfer
 

The goals of the Rigoberta Menchu’ Tun Foundation are:

To promote and defend Peace and Human Rights, particularly for indigenous populations.

To develop a Culture of Peace, based on the foundations of cultural exchange.

To revive Human Values and to construct an ethic for world peace, keeping in mind the ethnic, linguistic, political and cultural differences of a number of countries throughout the world.

To diffuse the following code of ethics: 

THERE IS NO PEACE WITHOUT JUSTICE

THERE IS NO JUSTICE WITHOUT FAIRNESS

THERE IS NO FAIRNESS WITHOUT DEVELOPMENT

THERE IS NO DEVELOPMENT WITHOUT DEMOCRACY

THERE IS NO DEMOCRACY WITHOUT RESPECT

TOWARDS THE IDENTITY AND DIGNITY OF PEOPLE AND CULTURES

Guatemalan photos


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