A Global Day of Giving Thanks | Community Impact During the Season of Giving
By Aliisa Oake
Giving Tuesday is a global day of giving thanks and collective generosity that brings people together and unites communities around the world to create a positive community impact. This is a time of year where people support the causes that matter the most to them, furthering a collective movement that brings people together with a shared purpose.
Regardless of the impact story, fundraisers and charities around the world have taken advantage of this day for powerful opportunities to inspire generosity and create meaningful change. At De La Gente, we see Giving Tuesday as a day that’s much larger than encouraging donations, but a celebration of community, connection, and collective change. It’s a moment to reflect on how grateful we are for the connections that unite us – from the coffee producers and their communities who tend to coffee plants on volcanic slopes throughout Guatemala, to our supporters who make a difference through every purchase, donation, or story shared.
Brenda, coffee producer from Ija’tz Cooperative holding basket of coffee cherries
Through the generosity of our supporters, we’ve been able to help strengthen coffee farming communities, expand upon training programs, and empower coffee-growing communities to overcome challenges in building a resilient future in coffee. From improving access to markets and investing in constructing essential coffee farming infrastructure, and also successfully creating more opportunities for women and young entrepreneurs within coffee farming communities, your involvement has sparked meaningful, everlasting change.
This season of giving, we’d like to encourage you to take a moment to read a cooperative impact story featuring some of the incredible community impact that you’ve made possible with your support and that we’ve been honored to be a part of. Every act of giving fuels these efforts – proving that when people come together with compassion and commitment, lasting change is possible. The goals of our partner cooperatives along with our shared mission at De La Gente have been achieved, and continue to do so, all thanks to you.
An Impact Story: Ija’tz Cooperative in the Highlands of Guatemala
This impact story takes place within the coffee farming community of our partner cooperative, Ija’tz Cooperative. This cooperative is a coffee farming community located in the Atitlán coffee growing region of Guatemala, nestled within the foothills of volcanoes that tower over Lake Atitlán.
In 1995 coffee producers who reside in the town of San Lucas Tolimán, joined forces to form a cooperative with the goal of reclaiming and protecting their land and the surrounding environment, while also revitalizing traditional farming methods. Having a deep understanding of their local ecosystem and working cohesively with their environment, they began operating as a seed bank, where they constructed a facility for storing seeds from native trees in efforts to preserve the environment’s genetic biodiversity. Over the years as they expanded their work, they saw an opportunity to produce and sell coffee.
Roberto Cotjín, coffee producer walking through fields in coffee farming community in Ija’tz Cooperative
In 2010, Hurricane Agatha struck – majorly affecting many areas of Guatemala. Mudslides and floods from the hurricane destroyed infrastructure and crops were ruined. Ija’tz Cooperative was devastated, especially having lost their seed bank and all documentation from their preservation efforts, which was meant to be used as an emergency backup against threats like natural disasters. The after-effects of Hurricane Agatha were felt extensively by small-scale coffee farming communities like Ija’tz, especially due to having fewer resources to be able to quickly recover from the damage. Additionally, the prolonged humidity following the hurricane raised concerns among coffee producers in Guatemala. From the humidity levels, coffee plants were more susceptible to pests and diseases like coffee leaf rust, otherwise known as la roya, which eventually leads to wiping out coffee plants completely.
In 2015, Ija’tz Cooperative partnered with De La Gente. We began assisting them with training and guidance for coffee production techniques to better cultivate and process high quality coffee, which would later be sold within the specialty coffee market and bring in a collectively higher income for their harvest. Having found green coffee buyers in the market, we purchased specialty coffee from Ija’tz for the following harvest in 2016, and we’ve been doing so ever since.
From this alliance, additional development projects have emerged, which were funded by generous donations and volunteer activities from some of our supporters. In 2018, we received individual donations that funded construction projects put into place to improve coffee processing efficiency, such as building a collective wet-mill, which is used by all cooperative members, along with the construction of fermentation tanks and platforms used for depulping machines. These projects were accomplished thanks to generous donations from our former Wholesale Green Coffee Buyer from the Netherlands, Roast Factory, and the University of Eau-Claire Wisconsin in the United States.
Depulper machine on a platform in Ija’tz coffee farming community
Depulper machine being used by coffee producers
Fermentation tanks and washing channels at Ija’tz Cooperative
Gracious funding and volunteer work continued in 2019 during an Educational Trip when a group of students from the University of Eau-Claire Wisconsin assisted in constructing washing channels. Sanibel Captiva Rotorians in the United States also donated funds towards constructing a 14 x 24 meter drying patio. In 2020, there was another Educational Trip from University of Eau-Claire Wisconsin where a group of students donated their time to help fix the community kitchen within the central office building of Ija’tz Cooperative. This development project assisted with providing a workable kitchen for the catering business that is managed by the women and family members of the cooperative’s coffee producers.
Ija’tz Cooperative members have spent many years re-building, and are continuing to update their infrastructure to this day. Despite the hardships they’ve faced, coffee farming communities and families such as those that make up this cooperative continue to persevere with remarkable strength and determination. They come together to share solutions, celebrate harvests, and strengthen their communities through collective action – creating a network of support that extends beyond their coffee farms. Through donations and cooperative support, they are able to invest in sustaining their future and implementing community-based projects that strengthen their communities. This resilience builds the foundation for lasting community impact, which grows stronger with the support of people like you who believe in their mission.
The Extent of Community Impact
The impact story of Ija’tz Cooperative is just a glimpse into the lives of one of the coffee cooperatives we’ve been partnering with and the progress of community-based projects that our supporters have helped us to implement and sustain. But our work doesn’t stop here. Guatemala is home to hundreds of small scale coffee farming communities within remote regions, who are constantly faced with challenges. Some coffee farms are situated in Central America’s highest mountain ranges, making this setting not only breathtaking, but also very isolated and difficult for coffee producers to get to. Within these regions, we partner with nine cooperatives that are located in four of Guatemala’s coffee-growing regions.
While many families live in remote regions, separated by hills, valleys, and rugged terrain, community members are deeply connected by shared traditions, resilience, and generations of knowledge of coffee cultivation. Coffee has become the foundation of community life. Families work side by side, passing along knowledge and supporting one another through the challenges that come with coffee production, such as unpredictable weather and fluctuating prices to limited access to resources and infrastructure.
Coffee cherries drying on patios in coffee farming community of Ija’tz Cooperative
Drying patio constructed after funding from Sanibel Captiva Rotorians
Arnulfo Cuj, member of Ija’tz cooperative
Coffee farming communities in Guatemala are not only connected to each other through their hard work and lifelong connections to their culture, history, and family legacy, but also to a global community of supporters who value their incredible work and heritage. Community connection extends beyond coffee fields and into your daily cup. With every cup of coffee consumed, dollar that is donated, or story that is shared, a ripple effect of community impact is created – uplifting families, sustaining traditions, and promoting a shared purpose that continues to shape the future of coffee in Guatemala.
Through the support of our partnerships, coffee lovers, donors, and advocates, our coffee community is growing. We are incredibly thankful for the people that have stood beside us and have become a part of our network at De La Gente – uplifting coffee producers, preserving cultural heritage, and creating lasting community impact – showing that across countries and continents, we are linked by the shared purpose of growing, celebrating, and sustaining the livelihoods of families who are part of coffee farming communities.
Become a Part of Our Next Impact Story: Give the Gift of Community Impact
De La Gente is committed to creating economic opportunities for coffee producing communities in Guatemala. We strive to foster a coffee industry that is equitable, inclusive, and rooted in respect – one that enables small-scale coffee producers to earn a dignified income, live prosperous lives, and facilitate authentic, long-term relationships between coffee producers and buyers. At the heart of our mission is our dedication to supporting the economic, social, and environmental needs of everyone involved.
Since our founding in 2014, we’ve witnessed firsthand the results of our community impact. From families improving their livelihoods to cooperatives strengthening their infrastructure, new opportunities have been paved for the future. Together, we can continue this progress.
Small scale coffee producers and members of Ija’tz Cooperative
This holiday season, we invite you to join us in giving thanks and giving back. Every purchase, donation, and word of encouragement supports the coffee farming communities of our partner cooperatives to grow stronger and achieve their goals in building brighter, more sustainable futures.
This Giving Tuesday, we invite you to stand alongside the small scale coffee producers and their families who remind us that every cup of coffee holds a story of strength, resilience, and opportunity. Every purchase, every donation, and every word of your support helps strengthen our partner cooperatives and ensure that coffee farming communities in Guatemala can continue building brighter, more sustainable futures.
Be a part of De La Gente’s next impact story. Give the Gift of Community Impact.
Where Can I Donate This Giving Tuesday?
This Giving Tuesday consider donating to De La Gente to help us further our partner cooperatives as we continue building resilience, creating economic opportunities, and shaping a stronger future for small-scale coffee-producing communities in Guatemala.
