Ana Aurelia Asicona del Barrio is a member of the Women's Savings and Microcredit Group.
Originally from San Gaspar Chajul, Guatemala, she attended primary school until the fourth grade.
At the age of twelve, she began helping her mother work, first sorting through coffee beans at the Asociación Chajulense processing plant, and then sorting cardamom in Batzul, Guatemala.
Ana got married at the age of 16 and purchased two looms with her husband, to support the family by weaving women's skirts like the one you see in the photo above.
When funds became very scarce, they could no longer afford the materials to weave. Through her neighbors, Ana learned about financial credits offered by Chajulense de Mujeres, the women's microcredit association.
With these credits, Ana and her husband were able to purchase materials to begin weaving again. They purchased a horse, a small plot of land, and a grocery store. They used credits to expand and remodel the store, adding a lock for greater security.
Since obtaining these credits, Ana has been able to establish a thriving small business in her community. She has since sold the looms and purchased a tuctuc (motorcycle-like taxi).
Between the grocery store and the tuctuc, Ana and her husband are able to generate enough income to support themselves and their two children.
Learn more about the Women's Savings and Microcredit Project, which now has nearly 3,000 participants and is completely self-sustaining, with a savings fund of $147,000 here.
Updates from Guatemala
Paula Rodriguez, our International Program Director, recently took a trip to Chajul to visit our programs, hear updates from program leaders, and to get a view of the recovery efforts after Hurricanes Eta and Iota.
We are excited to share some of these updates with you!
Women's Microcredit
Chajulense de Mujeres, the women's savings and microcredit program, held a meeting with our financial consultant to review the group's current financial status, in hopes of working towards their goal of building their own offices in the center of town, where they can hold meetings and classes. We are supporting the group in developing a monthly "finance school," where participants can gather each month to review their financial statements, credit, savings, and payments.
Honey Project
Our Honey project is doing well this year, despite the harsh weather. The honey harvest will take place between late-March and April, and project participants are expecting a healthy harvest. Beekeepers have been switching out their hives for larger ones (Langstroth hives), which will give the bees more space to produce honey. The honey cooperative also recently had their regular organic and fair trade inspections. We are launching a new initiative for the beekeepers that will allow them to buy one hive, and be given one more. Through this program, we expect to give beekeepers about 70 hives.
Coffee Farm Recovery
We are partnering with Cooperative Coffees and Asociación Chajulense to give new coffee plants to farmers who lost theirs in the hurricanes. We will need to wait until the rainy season begins in May for farmers to begin planting these new coffee plants.
Rebuilding Homes
We are also partnering with Chajulense de Mujeres to help families rebuild homes that were lost in the hurricanes (or build new homes for families who had to relocate). There are 15 families that are needing support. We are currently working on an assessment of specific building materials that are needed, and then we will help pay for these materials so that the houses can be rebuilt before the rainy season starts in May.
Looking Back on 2020
Friends,
Covid-19 met the Ixil people early in 2020 head-on, shutting down businesses in and around San Gaspar Chajul and causing severe food shortages. Covid-19 also brought contributions to The Coffee Trust to a grinding halt, severely impairing our ability to help.
This would have been difficult enough to overcome, but Hurricanes Eta and Iota destroyed roads, bridges, homes, and farms. The tiny village of Chel was completely cut off from access to food, clothing, and other essentials that had been washed away. Electricity to power the cell towers was also shut down, isolating Chel even further.
The support of our community at this most critical time brought food and supplies into Chel by helicopter to meet the desperate needs of the Chajulense people.
Thank you so very much, to all our supporters who stepped up to help out during this challenging time.
The people of Chel are now in the process of assessing the overall damages to the village and the surrounding areas. Once the assessment has been completed, we will work with the community to address the rebuilding that must be done. We have worked in Chel since 2014. We know the people well and we will meet every challenge with them.
We will keep you updated with developments in the Ixil region as we learn more.
Again, thank you to all who have supported our efforts and thank you to the people of Chel who have stayed strong throughout these unprecedented challenges. None of this could have been accomplished without each and every one of you.
Bill Fishbein and The Coffee Trust team
Taking Action for Chel
Our Response to Hurricanes Eta and Iota, and a Recap of Our Work in 2020
We have been working in the Western Highlands of Guatemala since 2008. The closest stop-off point along the way to our program work is the township of San Gaspar Chajul, which is located about seven hours northwest of Guatemala City in the rugged Cuchamatanes Mountains. San Gaspar Chajul is home to the offices and processing plant for Asociación Chajulense, the fair trade, organic coffee producer in the region and one of our long-term partners.
The central location of our program work is in the tiny village of Chel, located about two hours north of San Gaspar Chajul by four-wheel-drive. In Chel and beyond, we have supported and continue to support a number of organic agricultural projects for coffee producers, improved training for beekeepers, chicken projects, family gardens, and micro-credit projects, which continue to evolve. Our work extends beyond Chel to the numerous tiny villages stretching far and wide in every direction. Those numerous villages are situated anywhere from 1 to 5 hours beyond Chel. They are among the most remote villages in Guatemala, not all that far from the Mexican border.
Chel, like many of the other villages in the surrounding area, is situated in such a way that a river runs through it. Hurricane Eta knocked out the only bridge to Chel, and then heavy rains from Hurricane Iota completely destroyed the roads to and from, which have become impassable, even by four-wheel-drive. It no longer takes two hours to drive to Chel from Chajul; it takes two days to walk.
As a result, the village of Chel is isolated. Homes have been washed away. There is a shortage of food. The cell towers are down and there is no communication to Chel or beyond. The Coffee Trust is collaborating with Chajulense de Mujeres, the women’s group in the region, to deliver food and clothing by helicopter to the now isolated community (shown in the video above). The helicopter is tiny and so far, it has taken 26 trips to Chel with more to follow. The pilot is only charging for gasoline. All this is happening under the threat of Covid-19.
The Coffee Trust is not a relief organization. However, we have been working in Chel since 2014 and have a presence there. Right now, Chel is devastated and we are providing relief because we can. Once things begin to settle down—hopefully sometime in 2021—we will be collaborating with the local community to rebuild Chel and the remote villages beyond.
There’s no getting around it. This has been a strange year, a challenging year, a hard-to-survive-year for a lot of people and a lot of businesses on both sides of the border. It has not been easy for The Coffee Trust to find funds during these uncertain times. It has not been easy to help coffee producers overcome obstacles exacerbated by a worldwide pandemic, the shutdown of their businesses, and a lockdown of their country. In fact, it’s been challenging to even reach them any other way than by Zoom and that’s only when they have had a signal. And yet, you have made it possible.
You have made it possible for Roderico Galindo and Cecilia Lopez to complete their last year at Universidad Rural, where they will officially graduate in the spring of 2021.
You have made it possible for the extremely remote pueblo of Santa Clara to build a well and replace their only source of water, which had been contaminated.
You have made it possible for Chajulense families without income, who were previously forced to collect food in the forest due to the coronavirus, to make their own tortillas at home.
You have made it possible for our partners in Chel to gain access to corn, beans and basic grains, having been cut off from the outside world due to Hurricane Eta.
You have made it possible for Chajulense de Mujeres, the women’s savings and micro-credit group, to print and distribute pamphlets explaining Covid-19 to close to 3,000 participants, along with in-person (albeit socially distanced) Covid-19 prevention trainings.
You have made it possible for The Coffee Trust to embark on an agroforestry initiative with Chajulense coffee producers rooted in the principles of Campesino a Campesino and initially focused on soil enhancement and the defense against dangerous pathogens.
With your generosity during these most difficult times you have made all of this possible, and in the process, you have inspired us all, here at home and in the field.
Would you dig deep for us one more time before the year is out?
Wishing you a joyous and healthy holiday season. Thank you for everything.
Bill Fishbein
Founder & Executive Director
A view of Chel from one of our visits in 2017
Urgent Update on Hurricane Eta
Hurricane Eta has caused widespread flooding across Central America, including the coffeelands where we work.
Within the Ixil region, the community of Chel has been most impacted by the hurricane.
So far, there have been no deaths due to the storm, but the land on either side of the only bridge to town has washed out, leaving it unusable.
There are about 50 families in Chel that have been impacted. Many have left their homes to stay with relatives. Ten of these families are in dire situations with dwindling food supplies—primarily lacking basic grains, like corn.
Our efforts right now are focused on getting basic grains to these ten families, and if possible, all 50 families most affected by this hurricane.
The problem is the bridge.
We are speaking with Chajulense de Mujeres to see if there is a way we can collaborate on getting food to these families. There may also also be the possibility of transporting food via helicopter.
The region's coffee and cardamom have been severely damaged, and some farms were completely washed out. We hope to know more about the situation, but are currently limited in the information we can receive, as these families tend to their immediate needs.
Please follow along on our social media, as we share more information on this developing situation.
Thanks to You, Over 130 Families Now Have Corn
Dear Friends,
A few months ago, we reached out to our community to ask for your support for a new initiative: providing corn to struggling families in Chajul, in partnership with Chajulense de Mujeres.
With businesses still closed throughout Chajul and many families still unable to work and earn an income, food insecurity is an ever-increasing risk.
We are thrilled to report that as a direct result of your support, over 130 families have received corn so far, and we are committed to continuing to provide corn to families in need as the pandemic continues.
Thank you to all who have contributed in response to this urgent need.
With gratitude,
The Coffee Trust team
Looking Ahead
In optimistic preparation for post-covid activities, we have booked our booth for the 2021 Specialty Coffee Expo in New Orleans. We hope to be able to see you all next September!
Happy National Coffee Day from all of us at The Coffee Trust!
Covid-19 and Corn in Chajul
Dear Friends,
There are currently three cases of Covid-19 in Chajul, and as the situation continues to unfold, we again find ourselves faced with an unexpected challenge: The members of the women's microcredit group, Chajulense de Mujeres, are struggling to feed their families.
With non-essential business and travel shut down, these women are unable to work and earn incomes.
Our goal: partner with Chajulense de Mujeres to provide corn to 600 families.
View the video below to learn more:
After our success helping the people of Santa Clara build a well to supply clean water to their community, we know that with your support, we can help more families obtain the basic necessities they need to make it through this pandemic.
Thank you to all who have generously supported our work during this difficult time.
The Well is Complete!
Dear Friends,
We are thrilled to announce that in less than one month, the people of Santa Clara have built a well to supply clean water for their community.
If you missed our last email about this project and the urgent need for a new well in Santa Clara, you can view it here.
As COVID-19 spreads throughout Guatemala, it is essential that rural communities have access to clean water. This is a great accomplishment for the people of Santa Clara, who for the past 25 years have been using a small, old, and dangerous well that was open to the elements. We're excited to share the video below with you, showing the process.
Thank you to all who supported this unforeseen, crucial project!
June Newsletter
Dear Friends,
While we've been very focused on the threat of COVID-19 and maintaining our programmatic efforts in Guatemala, a new crisis was recently brought to our attention: the community of Santa Clara in the Ixil Region has extremely limited access to clean water. The community has relied on a single well for the past 25 years—a steep hike away from the village.
We are working with this community to build three new wells, so that the residents will have access to clean, fresh water.
Please check out the video below, and follow us on social media for updates on this project!
May Newsletter
Dear Friends,
We are reaching out here with another update on our projects in Guatemala and the COVID-19 situation.
Guatemala is in lockdown. Curfews are in place, schools and public transportation are shut down, and going out without a mask can incur a fine. Immigrants in the U.S. are being sent back to Guatemala, many testing positive for the virus. Travel between communities is also heavily restricted. Amazingly, there are still no reported cases of COVID-19 in Chajul.
We have been working to distribute information about the virus and appropriate safety measures, particularly in the beginning of the outbreak, when there weren't a lot of materials available in the Ixil language. We are also continuing to work on our current projects and our developing agroforestry project.
We are working with Chajulense de Mujeres (the women's savings and microcredit cooperative) to strategize during this uncertain time. New loans within the group are currently available to those seeking to develop agricultural projects to feed their families and communities for added income.
Technicians in the CopiChajulense honey project are still visiting beekeepers, while keeping distance and wearing masks. This year's honey harvest is looking to be better than ever, and the cooperative expects to produce three containers of honey this year.
We continue to work on our new Agroforestry Project, and we have begun surveying farmers via phone to gather information about their land, the health of their coffee plants, and trees they have planted. We are also conducting research on tree species that are culturally relevant and economically and ecologically beneficial.
Please don't hesitate to reach out to us with any questions or just to say hello. We'd love to hear from you.
Wishing good health and good spirits to all of you.
Bill Fishbein and The Coffee Trust team
March 2020 Newsletter
Dear Friends,
As you know, the situation with COVID-19 is changing rapidly, and despite learning more each day, there is still a lot of uncertainty and misinformation surrounding the virus and its impact on our health and everyday lives.
We are working to stay up-to-date on the latest information both in the United States and in Guatemala.
At the time we are writing this, there are 19 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Guatemala. In Chajul, where we work, there have not yet been any confirmed cases. However, families are trying to follow the mayor's orders, staying home as much as possible. Schools are closed and few businesses are still open. On Saturday, the president announced a "toque de queda," meaning all roads must be clear and businesses closed between 4 pm and 4 am each day.
Los Encuentros, the entry point to El Quiche and Chajul, is now closed, and it is no longer possible to travel in or out of the Ixil region by land (air travel to the region is still possible). Public transportation is not running, so travel throughout the Ixil region is only accessible to those with personal vehicles.
Our programming has been mildly impacted by reduced visits with producers in an attempt to maintain isolation practices.
We have worries about the virus spreading to this region that is so remote, with limited access to clean water and healthcare facilities. While restrictions on travel can help limit the spread, they may also impact access to food and basic necessities for those living in the Ixil region.
In the U.S., we've been hearing from many of our friends and supporters in the coffee industry who are struggling. The food service industry has been immensely impacted by this pandemic, and we want to extend our support and gratitude to so many of you who are working to keep your businesses operating and your communities safe.
Please reach out to us if you would like to share concerns or hear more about the situation in Guatemala. We'll do our best to keep you updated.
Wishing good health and good spirits to all of you.
Bill Fishbein and The Coffee Trust team
February 2020 Newsletter
New Discoveries in Soil Health and Agroforestry:
A Visit to COMSA
This month, Bill, Paula, three technicians, and three promoters from our agricultural development programs traveled to Honduras together to visit Café Orgánico Marcala (COMSA). COMSA is an organization with a vision of developing alternative agricultural practices and opportunities for small-scale coffee farmers. By visiting COMSA, we hoped to further expand our knowledge of agroforestry, soil nourishment, and carbon sequestration, as well as share what we've learned through experimentation and the sharing of knowledge from farmer to farmer.
Top row from left to right: Francisco, Roderico, Salva, Nasario
Center: Valvino, Bill
Bottom: Mateo, Paula
From Bill:
"We started out by talking about Finca Humana—The Human Farm. This is a concept held by Elias Sanchez, a Honduran farmer who came to believe that the farm does not exist in the land, but in the human being. That the farmers cultivated him or herself by utilizing his or her mind, hands and heart. And that the farm existed there.
We talked about the five "Ms": 1) The Mind, or grey matter 2) The Organic Material 3) The Minerals in the soil 4) The Microorganisms 5) The living Molecules
Focusing on the microorganisms, they differentiate between Effective Microorganisms (EMs) and Mountain Microorganisms (MMs). EMs are a collection of anaerobic microorganisms found all over the world. MMs are anaerobic microorganisms found locally and are compatible or in balance with all the living matter in the local soil. You can buy EMs in the market, but you need the money to buy them. Or, you can harvest MMs from the soil around you. These microorganisms are easily identified in the forest... they are the white spots found underneath the first layer of dried and drying leaves on the forest floor.
There is a balance between all the living bacteria in the soil, at least there should be. After harvesting coffee or any other plants, minerals and nutrients are extracted from the soil. If they are not replaced, and there is a shortage of any or all of them to be shared amongst all the living bacteria in the soil, the competition for them in the soil becomes fierce."
From Paula:
"We learned about the richness of biochar and how it can help the soils. They say for growing plants it really makes a difference. They used a barrel cut in half, put a fire in the wood, and then cover half the barrel so the gases weren't coming out, but remained in the biochar. Then they showed us how to activate the biochar, mixing the carbon with microorganisms to make the biochar active. They put that on the roots of the plants and have great results.
Then, we went to reproduce Mountain Microorganisms in a 'petri box,' creating an environment for the microorganisms to reproduce on their own. On the way to Honduras we had stopped at a Pizza Hut to have lunch. There, four of the farmers ordered lasagna for the first time, and I explained it: put a layer of pasta, a layer of spice, a layer of meat or chicken, a layer of cheese, and then start again—One layer after another. To reproduce the MMs, it is like making a lasagna, putting layer after layer of organic material, rice husk, bran, and molasses. I told the farmers it is like the lasagna you eat and they started laughing and understood! After layering it all and waiting 30 days, they have the microorganisms.
Our next steps will be training the technicians and producers with Pepe on making microorganisms without sugar or molasses, because molasses is not available and brown sugar is very expensive. Pepe will do a training in March, and then we will leave some time for [the farmers] to practice. We created a WhatsApp group where they can talk about what they've been practicing."
Activating biochar
The goals of our developing Agroforestry Project are to 1) replenish nutrients and minerals extracted from the soil 2) defend plants against pathogens like la broca and la roya 3) improve coffee quality and production 4) diversify crops 5) plant trees 6) ensure appropriate shade with varying levels of the canopy, and 7) capture carbon from the atmosphere.
Enhancing the living soil with organic microorganisms harvested naturally from the forest, the project begins below the forest floor and stretches all the way to the highest tree. Organically enriched soil acts as one of the earth‘s greatest carbon sinks. Rich with nutrients and minerals easily absorbed into the green world above and fueled through photosynthesis, the growing, living forest that results opens a pathway for carbon from the atmosphere to cascade into the earth and find its new home in the soil.
Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to explore this new project.
Coming Up: Specialty Coffee Expo in Portland, Oregon
We're gearing up to attend the Specialty Coffee Expo in Portland from April 23rd - 26th. You can find us in the Exhibit Hall at booth #1140. Will you be there too? Drop us a line, we hope to see you there!
January 2020 Newsletter
Exciting Updates from Guatemala
A Brief Note of Thanks
Before we launch into some updates from Guatemala, we want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all those who generously supported our work in the past year.
Our First Cup event on January 1st raised close to $15,000, a huge accomplishment and testament to the hard work of the wonderful coffee shops that participate in this annual event. A special shout-out to Coffee Exchange, Trifecta Coffee Company, and Java Joe's, as well as those who stopped by each of these great cafés to participate in the festivities! Learn more about First Cup here.
We're excited to see what the coming year has in store for our programs at origin and our partnerships in the U.S., and we can't wait to share it with you along the way.
Updates from Guatemala:
Soil Health and Agroforestry
One of our new ventures this year is to take what we learned from our accomplishments in our Roya Recovery Project and apply them to a new focus of agricultural development, soil health, and agroforestry.
Agroforestry is a land management system that involves the integration of trees and shrubs around and/or among crop and animal farming systems. The benefits of this practice include increased biodiversity, diversification of income sources, reduced soil erosion, and carbon sequestration—another important focus area for us this year.
Before we turn our attention to the planting of trees and shrubs, we need to ensure that farmers have a foundation of healthy soils.
Pepe Rodriguez, our Agroforestry Director, has begun experimenting with Mountain Microorganisms (MMs). You've probably heard of Effective Microorganisms in our previous newsletters. MMs are similar in that they serve as a fermented fertilizer of sorts, strengthening soil health and protecting crops from disease. However, MMs are made using material from the forest floor, so farmers do not need to purchase a starter culture. While EMs and MMs typically use molasses in the fermentation/reproduction process, Pepe is experimenting with a fermented mixture of coffee pulp as a molasses replacement, which transitions another purchased input into a readily available resource at no cost.
Once these experiments are proven successful, farmers in the community will begin to learn these methods, and share them with their neighbors through farmer-to-farmer training.
We will continue to share updates on these experiments as they progress!
December 2019 Newsletter
Happy Holidays from The Coffee Trust
As we approach a new year and the start of a new decade, we've been reflecting on how far we've come since our founding in 2008, and where we hope to go in the years ahead.
It's no secret that despite a recent uptick in coffee prices, they remain disastrously low for producers. In fact, considering inflation, they're lower than they were a generation ago. If we expect to create a more sustainable coffee trade, we must break the boundaries that we have created for ourselves. We have to do things differently.
Over the past 11 years, you've supported health care, food sovereignty, education, agricultural development, and economic diversification for coffee producers and their families. Next year, we're turning our focus to helping our Guatemalan partners earn additional income by taking a giant step into the U.S. marketplace.
We're working with CocoMiel to bring coffee, honey, and bean-to-bar chocolate into U.S. markets. Half of CocoMiel's net profits go back to producers, and the company is a significant contributor to The Coffee Trust.
Our programming in the coming year will prioritize the honey project, working with CopiChajulense to increase the number of beekeepers, improve their productivity, and establish a fluid line of supply into the U.S. We are also actively researching ways to reduce and offset our organization's carbon footprint, as well as ways those at each step of the coffee supply chain can do the same.
Would you consider making an end-of-year contribution? By doing so, you will help keep our projects going, and help coffee producers in Guatemala remain coffee producers, at home with their families and their farms.
Please stay tuned for more updates as we transition into the new year, and don't hesitate to reach out. We'd love to hear from you.
Wishing you a happy and healthy holiday season,
Bill Fishbein
Founder and Executive Director