The Muralla de Leon Association (AMUL) is a small company run by women from Santos Barrera, Guatemala- located near the Maya Biosphere Reserve
AMUL employs women who manufacture and sell Ramon based products such as cookies, coffee substitute, flour and other products. They received assistance from Rainforest Alliance and the Maya Nut Institute who provided them training and certification to start their business. The women run everything from operations, production, to finance.
For these women and the people associated with the business, it is about the process. It is about giving other women opportunities to not just make income for their family, but to be self-sufficient and to be able to run a business.
Each day, they wake up early and divide up their roles. There are individuals who will go out into the Reserve and gather the ripen ramon seeds. Then from there, they will separate the seeds into piles that are ready to be produced for products such as ramon flour, bread, and for a new cookie to be produced. And then there are the leaders who will work with Rainforest Alliance to decide where to ship the products.
When CONAP first put into place concessions and locally owned business opportunities, they wanted the people to feel as if they had a stake in the resources around them. USAID has also provided funding as part of their support for the conservation and sustainable management of protected areas.
When one bites into a cookie, a ramon seed, or purchases ramon flour, the money comes back to where it all started.
Back to the concession.
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