PARTNER COOPERATIVES

In 2021, the DLG partner cooperative network grew to include a total of eight cooperatives within five distinct coffee-growing communities. Ranging from eight to 150 members, the cooperatives are all made up of small-scale farmers, a demographic that has historically been susceptible to price volatility, climate change, and exploitative supply chains. We have established partnerships in efforts to combat these obstacles.

COFFEE GROWERS OF SAN MIGUEL ESCOBAR

This is where the De La Gente story begins. In the 1990s, a group of small-scale farmers who had acquired experience working in large coffee plantations began planting their own coffee plants and carving out a space for themselves in the coffee industry. When DLG was founded in 2014, we first partnered with this group of producers to improve the quality of their product and find markets in which to sell their coffee. The current 16 members renewed their values and collective commitments at the end of 2021, and in the process, renamed themselves The Coffee Growers of San Miguel Escobar.

LA FAMILIA COLLECTIVE

La Familia Collective is made up of two families of coffee producers spanning two generations, who have been producing coffee in the community of San Miguel Escobar for nearly 20 years. With the vision of forming the third generation of coffee growers and continuing to advance as professionals within the industry, they came together at the end of 2021 to launch La Familia Collective, named in honor what unites them the most.

IJA’TZ COOPERATIVE

Ija’tz Cooperative is located on the shores of Lake Atitlan. In a community where Maya Kaqchikel and Maya Tz’utujil identities converge, the cooperative’s name means “seed” in Kaqchikel, chosen as a symbol of life and regeneration as well as to convey the group’s mission and vision of protecting the rich biodiversity on the shores of Lake Atitlán. Since its founding in 1995, the group has incorporated cultivating arabica coffee, grown under the shade of native plants and trees, which allows them to live out their commitment to environmental preservation. Currently, the cooperative consists of 35 members, and De La Gente has been assisting their mission and marketing their coffee since 2015.

SANTA ANITA COOPERATIVE

The Santa Anita community was established in 1998 after Guatemala’s violent and destructive 36 year-long Civil War. A group of ex-guerrilla fighters, who had previously either sought refuge in the highlands or were actively fighting in the Civil War, decided to reintegrate into civilian society by purchasing an old coffee farm with a low-interest government loan offered as a part of the reparation process when the Peace Accords were signed in 1996. Since then, these ex-guerilla fighters have redefined themselves as coffeeprofessionals. De La Gente began partnering with Santa Anita Cooperative and its eight members in 2012.

SHIGUALOS COFFEE

Shigualos (she-wah-lows) Coffee is a united group of ten members from the town of Ciudad Vieja. Launched in September of 2021 by a group of second-generation producers, they seek to carry on the coffee-farming legacy of the generation before them. Inhabitants of their town are referred to as “Shigualos,” so as a tribute to their roots and appreciation for cultural diversity, the co-op members chose to mix Spanish and English to officially name themselves Shigualos Coffee.

LA SUIZA COOPERATIVE

La Suiza is an old German coffee plantation located in the remote tropical highlands of western Guatemala. The plantation was sold under a government loan program implemented after the Peace Accords formally ended the 36-year-long Civil War between the Guatemalan government and revolutionary guerrilla groups. Internally displaced families collectively purchased land in La Suiza and built a new life as small-scale coffee producers. Now, 45 members strong, La Suiza Cooperative has organized and grown substantially, a journey that De La Gente has been part of since 2012.

THE UNION OF SMALL-SCALE PRODUCERS (UPC)

The Union of Small Scale Producers (UPC) is tucked into the remote, mountainous town of La Democracia in the Department of Huehuetenango. The Union was formed in 1998 and now has over 160 members, almost half of whom are women, an impressive figure considering Guatemala's male-dominated coffee sector. The cooperative is the most structured with which De La Gente works with a well-developed business model, full-time paid positions, and various international export contracts. De La Gente has been partnering with The Union since 2011.

YOUNG ENTREPRENEURS OF SAN MIGUEL ESCOBAR

The Young Entrepreneurs of San Miguel Escobar is made up of twelve participants, all of whom are the children of the “founding generation” of coffee growers in San Miguel Escobar. This rising generation of coffee farmers formed in 2017 with the determination to deepen their understanding of coffee production. Some aspire to be coffee producers while some identify coffee as the vehicle to reach their long-term goals of pursuing other careers. Since their founding, De La Gente has been nurturing both their enthusiasm for coffee and professional growth beyond the industry.