Toledo Cacao Growers Association

"To improve the socio-economic standard of living of our farmers through competitive and diversified systems of production that incorporate sound ecological practices."

In short, as the world's first Fairtrade and organic certified cacao producers, this means that Toledo Cacao Growers Association farmers earn their money! To echo Oxfam's slogan of yesteryear "Trade, not aid", this is a sustainable, commercial business where farmers are paid a premium rate for the cacao that they produce organically, thereby minimising any impact on the land.

Based in Punta Gorda, the Toledo Cacao Growers’ Association (TCGA) represents over 200 organic cacao growers in Southern Belize, co-ordinating the production and sale of the beans under FairTrade terms to Green & Black’s, and working closely with the individual farmers to provide technical expertise and assistance on all aspects of cacao from growing and planting seedlings to the harvesting process and fermenting process, from pest control to composting.

Struggling to work their way out of poverty, the cacao farmers of southern Belize had their hopes shattered when in 1991 the price of their crop fell to less than half its former value. Many farmers were left with little choice but to abandon their farms and go off in search of work in far off towns or on citrus plantations. In 1993, Fairtrade and the Green & Black’s Maya Gold project breathed a new lease of life into the villages, giving people a reason to come home and try again. Gradually over the years as, their confidence in the market increased, farmers have been encouraged to grow more and more cacao and other villagers have also decided to join.

Whilst it hasn’t all been plain sailing, with the extensive damage caused by Hurricane Iris in 2001 and the insecurity surrounding Maya land rights, the future now looks bright for farmers. Very recently, the villagers of Santa Cruz and Conejo won their Supreme Court battle for custodial land rights, setting a precedent for more than 38 other Maya villages and, over the last ten years, sales of their cacao on FairTrade terms have taken these farmers beyond the subsistence level. A visible symbol of this is the improved housing in the remote farming communities. Many families can now afford the modest costs to send their children to school and, when ill, they can afford to pay the nominal amounts charged for government subsidised medicines and doctors’ appointments.

Toledo Cacao Growers Association, Main Street, Punta Gorda.
Tel: 722-2992 , email tcga@btl.net