Asociacion Chajulense

The Asociación Chajulense Va'l Vaq Qujol was founded in 1988 by some 40 coffee farmers of the Chajul area Triángulo Ixil, Quiché. The organization obtained its legal status in 1990. At present, the organization has 1,662 active members, most of whom are coffee farmers. Its main goal is to "promote a sustainable development model that is environmentally sound, economically feasible, fair from a social point of view and appropriate from a cultural standpoint". The organization is working in 56 communities.

Coffee is their main export market. In 2006, Cooperative Coffees purchased one of the first containers of fair trade, organic coffee shipped to the US market from Chajul and increased to two containers in 2007. With Fair Trade revenue, Asociacion Chajulense has been able to create an education center, provide credit, promote tourism, diversify income generating projects, promote local culture and improve members' health.

The organization had attempted to diversify with other products such as cardamom, cheese, honey, and handicrafts but found that some projects could not be sustainable. At present, the organization is further developing and working with four projects: coffee, cardamom, bee honey and The Posada, which is a lodge for tourists and visitors.

Visit their website: http://asociacionchajulense.org