Insights into Kolping projects in Mexico: Whether in a barista course in Mexico City or on the coffee fields in Veracruz, Kolping supports young people and small farmers not only in learning skills and acquiring knowledge, but also in becoming economically self-sufficient. The hands-on training programs and sustainable farming methods demonstrate how education, environmental awareness, and entrepreneurial spirit can be successfully combined. Desk officer Katharina Hager visited several projects in Mexico at the end of July.
In Mexico City, Katharina Hager visited the trainees at the Kolping vocational training center in Santa Ana. In the barista course, they were practicing job interviews. This is what sets Kolping apart: here, young people do not only learn a trade, but are also prepared for the job application process.
As an exercise, a role-playing game was organized. The guests learned how this works: “We were spontaneously involved and asked to conduct job interviews as café managers,” Katharina Hager reported. In the baking class, the desk officer learned about another practical challenge. “The trainees bake every day. They are allowed to take the baked goods home with them—but only on condition that they sell them. This allows the trainees to earn some income and to get a feel for what it’s like to sell their products,” Katharina Hager explained. After all, it’s not just about learning how to bake, but also about knowing at what prices and where the baked goods can be sold. After completing the courses, Kolping graduates have very good prospects. A survey showed that 90% of them went on to find employment. They either found a job or started their own business, while some graduates continued their training and resumed (previously interrupted) studies or took up further training.
Practical test of sales strategy
In the state of Veracruz, 15 Kolping members have joined the Uckam coffee cooperative. They report that they are achieving higher profits now that they process their harvest themselves. Thanks to donations, they were able to purchase a hulling and sorting machine and a roasting machine. Most of the processed and refined beans are sold to an organization committed to fair trade and solidarity economy. A special feature of this cooperative’s cultivation methods is that the coffee plants grow in an environmentally friendly cultivation system (biodiverse agroforestry systems). This means that they grow in the shade of various trees and shrubs. Not only do they provide shade, but they also supply fruit and wood, while at the same time increasing biodiversity. Bees are also kept there to produce honey.
Coffee farmers cultivate sustainably and are successful
The Kolping members of the cooperative are very creative and have come up with other projects that generate income: besides coffee and honey, they sell their own organic fertilizer. The cooperative also offers short guided tours of the coffee plantations for tourists. And that’s not all: some members will soon be undergoing further training to learn how to make products from beeswax and honey, which can then also be marketed.
