The dream of all cooperative members  is to know that the group to which they belong has its own headquarters, a block building with a good roof, with a small office, toilets, possibly even a shower. They meet there for assemblies and training, sometimes just to talk and exchange ideas. Also, it is where they collect their coffee in the harvest season, the coffee that is their pride, the basis of their life.

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At the beginning of March 2018 we visited the Grano de Oro Cooperative in the Tojchiquel village. It is a group that has recently joined Fedecocagua, but it has good potential. They showed us a plot of approximately 900 m2, which they had just bought with their own capital and asked us to help them realize this dream of building a warehouse.

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We thought it was difficult considering the little hill with its pretty forest. However, as we had already achieved good results in similar situations, we made a commitment to see if a sponsor would be willing to support the project. We got lucky: the owner of a toasting shop in Paris, Anne Caron, who had already carried out other projects through the UGK Foundation, agreed to co-finance the work.

 

The technician of the Cooperative accompanied by the directors of the Cooperative managed to convince the mayor of the municipality of Santa Barbara, Huehuetenango, to pay 30 hours of machine to flatten the land. As they did not reach these hours to take out the hill, the members had to invest more money to finish this first decisive phase.

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On our next visit, in September 2018, we were amazed to see a completely changed landscape - land where a warehouse could indeed be built.

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The image shows how the members already form the building that was inaugurated in July 2019 in the presence of Katell and Jurik as well as representatives of Fedecocagua and several Cooperatives in the Huehuetenango area.

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