Coliman Opens Phase 1 of the New Fairtrade Socio-Cultural Center

On July 2nd, Grupo AGGALL-Coliman and Fairtrade inaugurated the first stage of the “Fairtrade Socio-Cultural Complex”, a Community Center located in Tecomán, Colima, Mexico.

“A total of 5,200 people will benefit from this project, which will provide the local community with high-quality sports facilities and a safe space to enjoy communal activities.”

The Coliman family has built a brand new community space in Tecomán, Colima, Mexico. The Fairtrade Socio-Cultural Complex provides the local community with a safe place to get active, socialise, and keep fit and healthy. 

This project has been under development for the past five years. On July 2nd, we were excited and deeply humbled to see the results of everyone’s hard work come to fruition. 

The centre is an achievement of our collaborators; through their initial investment of 15.7 million pesos, this project has been fully financed by the agricultural workers themselves. The funding for the project came from the additional premium which the farmers received through Fairtrade’s purchase of their bananas, which was administered through the Fairtrade Foundations “Familia Coliman A.C.” and “Don Jorge A.C.”.

The project began five years ago with the initial purchase of the 3-hectare land. The inauguration on July 2nd marked the completion of phase 1 – unveiling the state of the art pitch for locals to play soccer together. In addition to the new soccer field, the site’s urbanization, electrical, hydraulic and sanitary infrastructure has now also been completed. 

This date marked the realisation of a dream that we have held for five years. We are thrilled by the project’s success so far, and we cannot wait to see the rest of the centre take shape in the very near future. 

We were immensely thankful to have representatives of the Fairtrade Foundation, the Coliman Family, and many distinguished guests all in attendance at the inauguration.

The event was chaired by Jorge Angel Aguilar, the General Director General of AGGALL-Coliman Group; Elias Antonio Lozano, the Municipal President of Tecoman; Audee Rios, the Commercial Director of AGGALL Group-Coliman; and Silvestre Magaña, the President of the Fairtrade Cousin Foundation.

The day included a blessing of the space, followed by a short tour of the new facilities. The inaugural match of the new pitch took place to close the occasion, with a game between two soccer teams from the AGGALL-Coliman Group’s workers.

The pitch is only the first step in the centre’s development, as construction is well underway for the rest of its features. The building is planned in four phases, grouped into two stages. Eventually, the centre will feature a wide range of amenities, including a multi-purpose court, an auditorium, multi-purpose lounges, a cafeteria, a gym, a library, an event terrace, picnic area and parking. 

The aim of the project is to create a safe space for Coliman’s hard-working collaborators, their families, and the entire community, providing a fun space with high-quality facilities, which are available for everyone to use. 

The Coliman Allfresch Director, Andrew, expressed his pleasure at the success of this inspiring initiative: 

“Our partners Coliman, led by Jorge, Audee and their fantastic team have been pioneering Fairtrade in Mexico for many years. Coliman invests in supporting their people and the community; this project will create a tangible impact for many people for many years and goes beyond Fairtrade with a new level of sustainability. Well done team, I’m very proud of what we have achieved together with our amazing partners and team in Mexico.”

We also want to take this opportunity to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in making this project a reality. 

So, to everyone in the AGGALL-Coliman Family who took part in the project, thank you for believing in the ethics and values that Fairtrade stands for. Thank you for taking care of our land, flora and fauna of our fields and our people.

And to those of you who choose our fruit, who recognise the importance of our colleagues’ work in the field, you have made a real difference.