A coffee project dedicated to living a dignified life through achieving self-sufficiency
Hampden Park Co-op carries several brands of coffee that emphasize the well-being of coffee-growers and of the environment. One of these is Zapatista Coffee, offered by Café Para la Vida Digna.
The Café Para la Vida Digna coffee project supports the Zapatista Autonomous Municipality, Ricardo Flores Magon, located in Chiapas, Mexico, as they work to achieve sustainability for their autonomous education and medical initiatives.
Chiapas is Mexico’s richest state for natural resources, with 37 protected natural areas, more than any other state in Mexico. One of the largest of these areas is the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve in the Lacandon Jungle.
Chiapas is also one of Mexico’s most impoverished states, where the people are subjected to the constant bombardment of low-intensity warfare. With the creation of the Montes Azules biosphere, the Mexican government gained monopoly control over the jungle’s natural resources. In order to exploit these resources, the government accused the indigenous people of environmental damage, forcing many people off of their ancestral lands. These forced relocations have resulted in the torture and deaths of many innocent people.
