Cocoa and coffee producers' organization

The organizations Productores de Cacao Sostenible RAYEN and Productores Orgánicos del Tacaná (POT) were created in 2016, since then they are dedicated to the production and commercialization of fine aroma cacao and arabica coffee, respectively. Both are located in the Soconusco Region, in the state of Chiapas. Being constituted was important to promote and support young people in their training process as Local Managers (GL), as they created spaces for participation in which the leaders of both organizations contributed their experience in the training sessions. Since 2018, Rainforest Alliance Mexico, through the Sustainable Cocoa and Coffee Production ( Fundación Gigante and Hivos) and APSyM (USAID) projects, has provided them with support to strengthen their productive, organizational and marketing processes, thereby increasing their presence in the region and their visibility in national and international markets. This awakened the interest of some young people to begin their training process as LGs, who, in addition to committing themselves to their training, followed up on the good agricultural practices promoted by the organizations. In this way, the LGs had this space to provide technical assistance to people linked to RAYEN and POT.

  • Within the organizations, leaders were identified who motivated, supported, favored and became positively involved in the education and training of young people. This encouraged the participation of young people throughout the training process.

  • Without neglecting their obligations, the young people committed themselves to the different stages of training.

  • Facilities, especially in terms of mobility, were provided to young people to participate in the different stages of training.

  • The RAYEN youth live in an environment closer to the city, which logistically facilitated their participation in the trainings. The POT youth live in communities located on the Tacaná Volcano, which made it more difficult for them to participate in most of the sessions. Therefore, it is necessary to take into account the social conditions of the participants.
  • The appropriation of the training process allowed the LGs to find an opportunity to generate economic income. In the case of RAYEN's LGs, their training enabled them to provide paid technical assistance and undertake the PENTACAO pilot project for the commercialization of chocolate bars. The RAYEN board provided the LGs with the basic equipment necessary for cocoa processing.
  • The cooperatives and their young people must keep in mind that the training process is a long one. The desertion of participants is always latent. Each story is different, and in the case of POT, shortly after completing their training, some young people decided to emigrate from their communities in search of other opportunities.