Asociación de Productores Pico Bonito de San Francisco (ASOPROPIB)

ASOPROPIB began its formation in 2004, with community leaders from the municipalities of San Francisco, La Ceiba, Sparta and Arizona, located in the area of influence of the sawmill cooperatives. In 2010 a census was taken to count the producers who had cocoa plots which were abandoned due to low production and low prices paid by buyers. It is for these reasons that the idea of creating an organization that represents them and starting to reactivate the cocoa production arises. In 2012 there was technical support from Forests of the World. It was in that same year when we began with the process of fermentation of cocoa ourselves (in bags), to achieve a small increase in the price. The organization has made significant progress every year in the incorporation of new members to its membership, increase in cultivation area, increase in marketing volume, increase in employment opportunities and improvement of living conditions of its affiliated families. We currently have partners in 7 of the 8 municipalities of the department of Atlántida. One of the main objectives of ASOPROPIB is to be self-sustainable and to maintain itself over time and generate greater and better benefits to its partner families and to the communities where it has its scope of action, promoting the conservation of Natural Resources, the equity of gender, and the generational relay as transversal axes. The main activities of ASOPROPIB are: Purchase, processing and sale of cocoa beans. Production and Marketing of grafted cocoa plants. Work is being done to produce and sell organic fertilizers. Technical Assistance service provided to producers Training in different subjects, particularly gender.