who we are

Kiej is a company that links rural communities with markets, helping to create inclusive businesses. At Kiej, we believe markets that recover ecosystems, value ancestral cultures and incorporate new people into supply chains, are MARKETS THAT CAN TRANSFORM OUR WORLD!! To imagine and develop such markets is our passion at Kiej. To generate this type of inclusive businesses, Kiej has developed a system that focuses on three main areas:

How we started

Kiej was founded as a business in 2003. However, the initiative started in 1993 when Maria Pacheco, our founder, and a group of 10 farmers created their first partnership.

At that time Maria was an organic farmer, and her main interest was the conservation of ecosystems. In her free time, as a hobby, she started training farmers in the highlands of Guatemala in organic vegetable production. However, when a group of farmers from Sacala Las Lomas (in the highlands) approached her, they told her that vegetable production was not viable in their villages, because their lands were too steep and there was very little water. Maria visited the community and realized the farmers were correct; vegetable production was not an option there.

Together, they came to the conclusion that the best use of their land would be forestry, and therefore, the farmers needed to create a forestry supply chain. The supply chain started with planting seeds and establishing tree plantations, primary and secondary processing of the wood, and ultimately the development of markets and their own brand.

This first alliance forever transformed the destiny of Kiej. Since then, we have created a system based on promoting needed alliances so that communities living in extreme poverty can become a component of supply chains. Besides generating prosperity and revaluing ancestral cultures these alliances can help restore ecosystems.

Kiej partners and the mission we share

At Kiej, we believe that our most important asset is the ability to create partnerships between diverse business sectors. We have created a space where we come together; as we learn to work together and get to know each other better, this space grows. Our alliances include rural communities, the private sector, international corporations, governments, and national and international leadership initiatives.

Our missión is to LINK WORLDS, and we believe that partnerships are the way to do this. Our vision is A GREAT BIG WORLD FOR EVERYONE, because this is our definition of development. We are convinced that the evolution of a single human being is the evolution of all of humanity. Some of our partners are:

Rural communities

we make a joint commitment to develop a path to integrate the communities into a viable market. At times the exact method of intergration is difficult to initially discern, but the key is to work together to develop a solution.
COMMUNITIES WE WORK WITH

Jocotan, Chiquimula
Olopa, Chiquimula
San Juan la Laguna, Solola
Santiago Atitlan, Solola
San Pablo la Laguna, Solola
San Andres Semetabaj, Solola
San Cristobal, Totonicapan

Businesses:

this is the component of the market that makes it possible to generate inclusive businesses, since businesses close the circle by becoming our end-product clients. We have had several key companies that have helped us realize our dream:
AT THE NATIONAL LEVEL AT THE INTERNATIONAL LEVEL:
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Industrias Licoreras de Guatemala
Café Barista
Walmart
Otros
Harry and Camila
Bridges for Artisans
Tohono national park.

International Cooperation:

These diverse international players have played a fundamental role in making it possible to create our system, from the incúbation and strengthening of rural businesses to the development of new products. Our key partners have been:

Embassy of Norway: Gave us a grant to link 40 groups of rural Guatemalan women living in communities in extreme poverty to markets. These 1,000 women are mothers of children under 5 years of age, and need sources of local income in order to feed and educate their children. The project began in 2007, and 30 of the 40 groups have already increased their market access.
ICCO/Holland: Our key partners for our work in Jocotan, a community devastated by famine. After 6 years of working with the local women, 250 sources of income have been developed, and nutrition and education quality have increased dramatically. The community now has their own sustainable business.
Hivos/Holland: The first organization to give us a grant in 1997. The funding was used to increase the number of communities involved in the forestry supply chain in the highlands.
USAID: The governmental organization invested in both the Jocotán and Sacala supply chains, and in 2006 invited us to participate in a mentorship program launched by Vital Voices, Fortune 400 women and the State Department.

Other organizations:

Kiej has also been strengthened by active participation in leadership initiative like:

Vital Voices Global Initiative
Aspen Institute Central American Initiative (CALI)
Rimisp (Center for Latin American rural Development, based in Chile)