INTEGRATION WITH THE ENVIRONMENT
Our regeneration approach is based on the fundamental principle of 'living to understand the wisdom of the earth, restoring and establishing oneself, knowing, feeling, and learning from life.'
We carry out and promote agricultural alternatives based on permaculture principles, applying them to productive plots, reforestation projects, and ecological construction. We inhabit this space by proposing new ways of life to reduce our ecological footprint. This includes practices such as recycling, waste sorting, composting, rainwater harvesting, and graywater treatment.
Currently, we offer the families of the Red Ratzum Cacao higher prices per pound of cacao in the pod and other raw materials compared to regional values. Additionally, we are promoting new artisanal production methods with the aim of avoiding contamination, creating efficient processes, and generating employment.
We work to redefine the perception of families about their cacao and rural life through educational, organizational, and identity processes. Furthermore, we strive to restore the social and economic fabric, seeking markets that share our values of fair trade, conscious consumption, and an appreciation for the work of the families.
Our center is based on the ethics of Permaculture: Care for the Earth, Care for People, and Fair Share. The three key pillars of our work have been met through this lens of permaculture ethics.
CARE FOR THE EARTH: ENVIRONMENTAL REGENERATION
We have a reforestation program that has resulted in the planting of over 3,000 fruit and timber trees, spanning more than 60 species. This program aims to regenerate degraded grasslands and transform them into abundant and diverse forests.
In our center, we implement agricultural methods based on permaculture principles and support the families in our network to strengthen the resilience and productivity of their plots through diverse agroforestry systems.
We promote energy efficiency through practices such as creating food forests, planting perennial polycultures, and composting to facilitate nutrient recycling and soil improvement.
Our constructions are based on bioconstruction techniques using local materials. This way, we create comfortable infrastructure that promotes the health of the inhabitants and the land while recycling waste into useful building materials.
We have implemented a rainwater harvesting system for household use and a graywater filtration system based on plants and soils, preventing contamination of the Lanquin River.
Additionally, we have designed a system of ditches to channel water and recharge groundwater.
We also have a solid waste sorting system and are exploring recycling alternatives.
CARE FOR PEOPLE: CULTURAL REGENERATION
We establish mutually beneficial economic, social, and cultural relationships with over 60 Q’eqchi' Mayan families who collaborate with us in the Red Ratzum Cacao.
We build bridges to promote dialogue on gender equality and mutual respect. We do this by creating diverse leadership teams that value the unique contributions of each collaborator and generate spaces to address and overcome biases and prejudices.
Likewise, we create safe and sacred environments for the reintegration of the cultural heritage and Q’eqchi' Mayan spirituality of families into educational processes, agriculture, and everyday life.
Furthermore, we support the resolution of community conflicts through facilitation tools and the promotion of non-violent communication.
We promote the revaluation of cacao and agricultural work of families that have historically been marginalized.
FAIR SHARE: ECONOMIC REGENERATION
Based on the data we have observed and heard, we believe we offer the families in the Red the highest prices per pound of cacao in the pod in Guatemala.
We maintain a stable cacao purchase calendar throughout the year, supported by transparent communication and collective decision-making.
We provide safe, well-paid, and stable employment to the local community. Some women involved in cacao roasting and peeling have mentioned that Tuqtuquilal has provided them with employment opportunities for the first time.
We work in collaboration with families to strengthen their food sovereignty, promoting the revaluation of local products and facilitating access to various sources of income.
We create communication bridges and promote the recognition of values among conscious consumers and producer families. Furthermore, we help interested and conscious consumers deepen their understanding and connection with cacao, considering it a spiritual substance with strong emotional impact and significant cultural importance. In this way, we establish genuine spaces of coexistence, joint learning, and reciprocity between producer families and conscious consumers. These spaces foster honest intercultural dialogue in the context of a rapidly growing ceremonial cacao industry that has experienced significant confusion and cultural appropriation in the past decade due to culturally appropriate marketing.