The Farmers

Yachil Xojobal Chulchan, which means "new light in the sky" in the Tzeltal language, has members from both the Tzotzil and Tzeltal Mayan indigenous groups but all belong to the Zapatista autonomous movement working toward indigenous rights.

Members of this fair trade coffee cooperative have formed their own local indigenous governments, which focus on community development efforts to promote democracy, equality, and empowerment. Members do not accept government handouts. Over the last decade, the growers of Yachil have suffered repression at the hands of government security forces and the paramilitary. Many members and their families have been forced to flee their communities as internal refugees and they continue to be victims of oppression, intimidation, and even assassination. In fact, nearly half of all growers in the co-op live in a refugee center built on the side of a steep mountain.

Members of the cooperative live in the coffee growing municipalities of Pantelho, Chilon, Chalchiutan, San Juan Cancuc, Tenejapa, and Chenalho. Through storytelling, the farmers pass on their history to the younger generations, always emphasizing the importance of preserving their culture and their unique connection to "Mother Earth". The older farmers remember when their parents were young, they were forced to work on coffee plantations from five in the morning until seven at night. Their salary consisted of one peso each day but they were not compensated until after one hundred days of work were completed. If they did not work, they were beaten or expelled. Their ancestors began organizing in secret and such activities have led to the creation of organizations such as Yachil.

Through the formation of Yachil, fair trade coffee growers throughout the region work together to earn a dignified wage for their crops and continue the struggle for indigenous rights in the face of global economic policies that work to dismantle the culture of the indigenous. Higher Grounds Trading Co. is proud to be one of the first coffee companies in the United States to bring the gourmet fair trade and organic coffees from this inspiring co-op to you!

Click here to purchase coffee from this cooperative.

Together with the Brewing Hope Project in Ann Arbor, Michigan, Higher Grounds is working to educate consumers about the amazing work of our partner farmers south of the border. Click here for more information about this exciting project.