Guatemala Guaya'b Washed FTO

by C4 Coffee

Guaya'b Asociacion Civil is a coffee cooperative located in the Sierra de los Cuchumatanes region near Huehuetenango, in north-western Guatemala. Formally established in 1998, Guaya'b began selling to the Fair Trade market in 2000.  The sales made by Guaya'b have brought stability to the cooperative and have enabled its members to have better livelihoods and quality of life. The association represents 477 coffee and honey producers, 299 of these producers are listed as coffee growers and 178 as honey producers, although in practice some members have both honey and coffee. Most of the members are Popti' Maya, and the group's name means "mutual benefit" in their language. Among the services Guaya'b offers to its members are a low interest loan service (farmers typically are left without sufficient cash in the months prior to harvest to pay for essentials, and may not be able to find casual work in this period either), and services for local women such as nutritional advice and work and