Cafe Para La Vida Digna (CPLVD)

Zapatistas and Coffee

The Zapatistas are a rebellion located in Chiapas, Mexico. They are still working to overthrow the unjust government policies that keep these indigenous Mayan descendants away from their right to land, education, and health care. In southern Chiapas, the Autonomous Aapatisto Municipality Ricardo Flores Magnon (which is a region) has worked by organizing with sympathizers Cafe Para La Vida Digna (CPLVD). Their motto is "Todos para todos; nada para nosotros," or "Everything for everyone; nothing for just ourselves." One third of all coffee in Mexico is grown in Chiapas, making Café Para La Vida Digna an easier feat.^[1]

About the Organization

CPLVD was began in 2005 as a collaborative project between the community members of Ricardo Flores Magnon and volunteers from California, Minnesota, and Arizona. It provides a free-trade exchange of coffee, and it is a volunteer-run process. CPLVD works everyday to provide a self-sustaining life for the people of Ricardo Flores Magnon. This includes a self-sustaining economy, autonomous indigenous education, and easy-access health clinics. All the coffee is grown, picked and owned by Zapatista members. In turn, all of the proceeds go to helping this community fight against their oppressive government. ^[2]

How the Fair Trade Works

The amount of money paid to the growers is decided after the price of the coffee sales is decided. So instead of a fixed trade price, which may or may not cover the cost a person needs to survive, the price payed to the growers ensures that they will have income that is above the poverty wage. In fact, the prices of this coffee goes above and beyond fair trade price (more than 100 percent).^[3]

Green Operations

In growing the coffee, absolutely no pesticides or herbicides are used. This makes it an environmentally friendly operation as well as one to help self-sustaining lives. It is not certified organic, meaning that the Zapatistas did not go through all the fees and paperwork to check the soil. However, the Zapatistas and the volunteers of CPLVD all are confident of the coffee's integrity. ^[4]

Contacting Café Para La Vida Digna

In Southern California, the main volunteer, or "cooperative" is Chris Sivas. He can be reached at (626) 862-7276. The national cooperative is Jerry Lopez, who can be emailed at memberships@cafeparalavidadigna.com.^[5]

References

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