San Lucas Tolim

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San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemalacontinued (Part 3)
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Coffee program

• The best-tasting coffee in the world is grown
  under conditions identical to those in San Lucas
  Tolimán high-elevation, volcanic soil,
  sub-tropical climate.
• The coffee program follows the subsidiarity
  principle in that the majority of the steps of
  production take place in San Lucas. Therefore,
  the majority of the value-added stays in San
  Lucas, creating jobs, income, and wealth.
• Since it is non-profit, the program pays farmers
  more than twice the market price.

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Coffee program continued

• In addition to the beneficial economic effects,
  the program strives to be ecologically
  sustainable. If something is sustainable, then
  theoretically, it could be done forever within
  the confines of the earths carrying capacity.
• At every stage of coffee processing, there is
  recycling of all waste products. For example, the
  outer pulp is used for compost. The water used to
  remove the inner mucilage layer is used to
  irrigate crops on the experimental farm. The
  inner protective layer is spun off and used as
  mulch for crops

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Coffee farmers bringing their crop to the
weigh-in station.
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Matea Perez One of only a handful of female
coffee growers
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De-pulping
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Daniel Hand-sorting the coffee beans.
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Coffee roasting Value added right there in San
Lucas.
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Heat-sealing the inner-foil coffee bags one more
job that stays in San Lucas.
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Milton de Leon screen printing Juan Ana logos
onto coffee bags. Another job that stays in San
Lucas.
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Cottage industry coffee bag stitching (Doña
Vicenta and her kids Wilmer, Cllaudia, and
Jessica)
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Wilmer putting on the final touches. Note the
Juan Ana logo.
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Final product
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To order coffee?

• Contact the Diocese offices in New Ulm, MN
• [phone]
• 7.00/17 oz. bag, plus shipping charges

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Fuel efficient stove program

• Most people in the world cook using open fires.
  Typical arrangement? Wood fire with 3 stones
  supporting a boiling pot or iron cooking surface.
  Problems?
• Open fires burn quickly and consume enormous
  quantities of wood, contributing to
  deforestation.
• For families without land and trees, it is costly
  to buy wood from the marketplace.
• Fumes from the fire are inhaled directly into the
  lungs, especially women and children,
  contributing to pulmonary disease, the 1 killer.
  Other dangers include burns and scalding.

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Open cooking fire Note the fumes and the variety
of accidents waiting to happen.
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Fuel efficient stoves, continued

• The parroquia addresses the above problems
  through a fuel efficient stove program
• The stoves are constructed of concrete blocks,
  bricks, mortar, soil, a metal cooking surface
  (plancha), and a vent.
• They burn less than ½ the amount of wood as an
  open fire. The vent takes the fumes out of the
  kitchen. The fire and cooking surface are removed
  from the reach of small children.
• The construction uses local materials and labor.

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Cutting a concrete block with a machete another
example of culturally appropriate technology.
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16 yr. old Taylor learning to build a stove by 16
yr. old (former) program manager Dany Ajcalan
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A completed stove brings happy faces (for many
reasons).