Ija’tz Cooperative
Located in the Atitlán Coffee Growing Region
Ija’tz Cooperative is nestled in the foothills of volcanoes that tower over Lake Atitlán. In a community where Maya Kaqchikel and Maya Tz’utujil identities converge, “ija’tz” means “seed” in Kaqchikel, chosen as a symbol of life and regeneration as well as to convey the group’s mission and vision. The cooperative was established in 1995, with the goal of reclaiming and protecting the land and the surrounding environment, while revitalizing traditional agricultural processes.
Since its founding, Ija’tz Cooperative has incorporated cultivating arabica coffee, grown under the shade of native plants and trees, which aids in carrying out their commitment to environmental preservation and providing economic stability to its 35 members.
Throughout the years, cooperative members have increasingly specialized in coffee production because of the economic opportunities within the industry. After fifteen years of significant growth and expansion, tropical storm Agatha hit Guatemala in May of 2010. Torrential rains caused massive flooding, landslides, sinkholes, power outages, and several deaths within the community. The storm destroyed the cooperative's seed bank, all documented history of their work, and their office, which was then looted. However, members emerged from this misfortune with resiliency to continue propelling their mission.
As part of their trajectory of growth and advancement as coffee professionals, the De La Gente and Ija’tz Cooperative partnership formed in 2015, which began through providing training and guidance on production techniques to cultivate and process coffee that could be sold within the specialty coffee market. DLG purchased Ija'tz coffee the following harvest in 2016 and has been doing so ever since.
Our assistance has expanded to providing funding to supply the farmers with a motorized backpack sprayer to prevent further crop losses due to roya (coffee leaf rust). Together, we built worm composting beds to help increase the yield, and in 2018 a group from our Immersion Program constructed fermentation tanks, which were sponsored by one of our green coffee customers in the US who roasts and sells Ija’tz coffee. The most recent assistance has been aiding to improve their processing infrastructure by constructing washing channels, drying patios, and obtaining depulping machinery. Apart from benefitting cooperative members, Ija’tz has a long history of community-based projects driven by local needs, such as a community nutrition program and constructing an environmentally sustainable water management system that consists of a sequence of channels and drainage ditches that improves water flow during rainy season to help prevent flooding in San Lucas Tolimán.
