Guatemala - Certified Organic

This Fairtrade coffee comes from Codech (Coordinator of Organizations for the Development of Concepcion Huista), located in the department of Huehuetenango in Guatemala and consists of Bourbon, Cattura, Pach, Catuai, and Typica. In 1998, the Alliance for Youth Community Development (ADEJUC in Spanish) arrived at Concepción Huista, Huehuetenango, and began lobbying with the different organizations working in the municipality with the purpose of forming an entity that would represent the social, political, economic, environmental and cultural interests of the municipality. That is how on August 19, 1999, CODECH began. CODECH currently consists of eight grassroots organizations, 6 of these have legal status and two recognized at the municipal level (Municipal organization and Magisterial Council of Women). In total, they account for almost 500 active members: 167 women and 326 men. In 2001, the board of CODECH began to strengthen, participating in training processes at the local, provincial, and national levels, and start to submit proposals for funding to achieve the objectives. In 2003, the Alliance for Community Youth Development financially supports CODECH to implement the comprehensive development program focused on children. During 2004, CODECH received funding from Intermon Oxfam, to manage and execute the project “Coffee and sustainable development for the municipality of Concepcion Huista”. With this project there was support for the small producers to produce and market organic coffee, thus preventing the pollution of the environment, taking rational advantage of the existing resources, and making it easier to enter markets that recognize more favorable and stable prices for the growers. Today, among the eight organizations, 550 hectares of coffee are being cultivated, at an altitude that ranges between 1,500 and 2,032 meters above sea level. 300 Ha of coffee has been certified fair trade (FLO). In addition to the income received by each member, many families have benefited from technical assistance, training processes, and have support with inputs, and improvement in the quality and prices of the coffee. Also, in addition to the income obtained by fair trade (for every 100 pounds sold, a social premium of US $ 10 is received), which is invested in education, health, the functioning of the grassroots organizations, and the functioning of CODECH.