Emilio Travieso, SJ begins and ends with an image of an altar from his time with Mayan communities (Tseltal) in Chiapas, Mexico.
As part of his dissertation research, Emilio was studying their cooperative business — Yomol A’tel — that’s grown to $2 million in revenue — as part of a larger Comparte network across Latin America.
In the two videos linked below (one 3 minutes the other 30 minutes), I talk with Emilio Travieso about the Comparte network started by Jesuit researches, institutions, social enterprises 10 years ago that now has more than 500 productive enterprises, 11 universities, connections with Mondragon in Spain where many entrepreneurs went to hone their business plans.
Emilio also shares the moving story of a coffee cooperative in Chiapas weaving in economic analysis — an ecologically regenerative and spiritually restorative vision for how enterprise can serve and center the human person.
As Jesuits in Latin America we’re accompanying indigenous and other marginalized peoples… and walking with them towards life in abundance… and also accompanying them with their business enterprises.
~Emilio Travieso, SJ
He also points to the new accelerator program at the Ibero in Mexico City — helping co-ops and solidarity economy businesses from Cuba to Brazil — preparing them to take impact investment capital from trusted peers in their network — and how they hope the network of other entrepreneurs and the accelerator will help more of these enterprises be ready to accept capital from the larger investment fund they’re preparing to launch.
Listen to Emilio give a 3-min overview of the Comparte Network here:
At the very end, Emilio tells a story of indigenous spiritual practices being woven into the strategic planning at Yomol A’tel (micro-finance co-op) and Capaltic (coffee business) that was around $2 million in revenue and hundreds of thousands in profit from when he was last familiar with the financials.
You can read about Capaltic here:
Order coffee from them here: https://www.amazon.com/Organic-Capeltic-roasted-ground-coffee/dp/B08644HWMQ
You can read about the Comparte Network here: http://desarrollo-alternativo.org/comparte-7/
If it piques your interest, this longer 33 minute conversation touches on the power of this network that builds on decades of trust built by Jesuit institutions and non-profits and the potential it offers as an embodied Economy of Francesco vision and values.
If you’re interested in more about the social and solidarity economy or the Comparte network — or philanthropic or investment opportunities, please don’t hesitate to be in touch with me or Emilio.
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