Solar Fruit Dehydrators for MicroEntrepreneurs

8 women and 24 members of the newly formed agricultural cooperative are excited to start business!

This week we set up the two dehydrators on a new piece of land where we will be building a small farm kitchen for accessible production. The dehydrators look splendid among the community’s organic, diversified farming.

There are 24 organic farmers associated with the 8 women of 8 Batz K’uxya – the women’s dehydrator cooperative. Their fellow farmers get a big client for their organic fruit and herbs, so the dehydrators are actually creating more income for the broader farming community!

This week, we are testing the rainy season output of the dehydrator – finding recipes that can be completed within the 6 sunny hours of the morning and be packaged by the time the rains falls in the afternoon. We’re working on beautiful herbal tea mixes, raw seed crackers, and granola bars! Our clients will be around Lake Atitlan where there is a demand at natural food stores, the monthly farmers’ markets, and of course the eco-tourists that visit the Quixaya farms.

Here, women are leading the way to set up their business as they see fit. They are studying their market, identifying their ideal client and researching their packaging options. By next week they’ll have their elevator pitch fine-tuned to help them present and capture the interest of potential clients.