WiserEarth Help Desk

Comunidad Nueva Alianza is a fair trade, organic coffee and macadamia plantation owned and operated by a cooperative of forty Guatemalan families. All profits generated stay within the community and are used to improve our health, education and standards of living.

Nueva Alianza is located in a temperate area 1000 meters above sea level in the Guatemalan municipality of El Palmar, Quetzaltenango, about 45 minutes north of the coastal town of Retalhuleu. The community is nestled amongst a 300 acre plantation of organic coffee and macadamia trees where large tracts of natural tropical forest have been preserved as well. A walk through the plantation will bring you to cascading waterfalls with crystal clear water, edible and medicinal plants, and breathtaking views of volcanoes Santa Maria (3772m) and Santiaguito - an active volcano which erupts, on average, every hour.

Apart from the incredible wilderness, Nueva Alianza's richest resource is the forty families living and working on the plantation. Fifth generation plantation workers, we members of the cooperative are an incredibly generous and curious group of people who will welcome you into our community with open arms.

Our cooperative works according to the principles of Direct Democracy and currently boasts within its organizational structure a Women's Committee, an Education Committee, and a Board of Directors dedicated to ensuring that all workers have equal rights. A visit to our community, either as a tourist or a volunteer (see Volunteer Opportunities), will give you the opportunity to learn our amazing history of exploitation and extended struggle for land and workers rights.

We organize 2 day trip from Quetzaltenango during the weekend for tourists and Spanish students.

2 Day Tour Program:

TOUR OF ALL THE COMMUNITY PROJECTS: A one hour tour of the 100-year-old coffee processing plant includes in-depth explanations of the extensive process that converts raw coffee into the coffee we drink. A tour of the other community projects including: macadamia processing, micro hydroelectric plant, biodiesel workshop, water purification system, and bamboo workshop.

HISTORY TALK: A member of the community gives a talk about the compelling history of the community’s struggle to obtain legal title to our land, a description of how the community is currently organized as a worker-owned cooperative, and the various projects we have initiated to pay off our debt and improve our quality of life.

NATURE HIKE: A 2-3 hour walking tour through the community, plantation, and tropical forest; the tour includes explanations of coffee, macadamia, and local ornamental, edible, and medicinal plants. When the water is high enough, visitors also have the opportunity to swim in a natural bathing pool.

WATERFALL HIKE: A short walk through tropical forest leads to a majestic waterfall, where visitors can relax and go for a swim.