Yomol A'tel, Tseltal for "together we work," is an inspiring cooperative group founded in the Northern Jungle of Chiapas, Mexico, in the early 2000s. It was created as a community response to the severe crisis in the coffee market, characterized by exploitative intermediaries (coyotes) and unsustainably low prices. Rooted in the Tseltal Indigenous cosmovision and the principle of Lekil Kuxlejal (Buen Vivir)—a concept of life centered on harmony, sufficiency, and autonomy—Yomol A'tel has built a solidarity economy model across the entire value chain of coffee and other local products.

The group currently comprises over 400 Tseltal families and approximately 70 workers organized into three cooperatives and two social enterprises. Their model successfully integrates:

1. Production: Agroecological practices and traditional Tseltal knowledge are applied to organic coffee and honey production (over 1,100 beehives).Processing: Coffee is processed at the Bats’il Maya plant.
2. Commercialization: Products are sold through the Capeltic coffee shops strategically located in major Mexican cities, serving as vital intercultural bridges between the rural producers and urban consumers.
3. Diversification: Includes the women's cooperative Jun Pajal O’tanil, which produces organic cosmetics and handicrafts (Xapontic brand), and the Comon Sit Ca’teltic microfinance institution.
4. Education and Governance: The Youth School for Sustainability promotes agroecological models and prepares young Tseltal people for leadership roles. Governance is participatory, drawing on the traditional cargo system which emphasizes leadership as a form of community service.

The initiative emphasizes co-responsibility, transparency, and trust within its multi-actor model, which involves grassroots cooperatives, universities, foundations, and social investors. Crucially, Yomol A'tel secures a fair price for producers, typically 15% to 60% higher than the price paid by local intermediaries. Yomol A'tel faces inherent tensions between the Tseltal cosmovision—based on community time, nature's cycles, and collective meaning—and the conventional market's demands for efficiency and immediacy. Other structural obstacles include: Market Volatility: The instability of international coffee prices. Financing Gaps: Limited access to hybrid financial schemes and a lack of specific legal and fiscal frameworks in Mexico to support social and solidarity economy enterprises. Operational Hurdles: Insufficient productive infrastructure, high logistical costs, and bureaucratic burdens in distribution.

To navigate these challenges, the group developed several resilience strategies:

• Intercultural Mediation: Training young Tseltal members with intercultural profiles to bridge the two rationalities and facilitate management.
• "Price-Building" Strategy: Moving up the value chain (transformation and retail) to establish stable, solidarity-based commercial relationships that rely on mutual trust and transparency, thus mitigating vulnerability to global price swings.
• Networking: Participation in regional and international networks like the Red Comparte for collective learning and mutual support.The initiative has consolidated a solid and transformative experience, deeply rooted in Tseltal identity, strong organizational capacity, and continuous innovation.
• Economic Control: Producers gained control over the entire coffee value chain, leading to better prices and stronger household economies. Grants have been converted into revolving funds, enhancing financial autonomy.
• Social and Cultural Preservation: The model ensures dignified work, social security, and reinforces community fabric by integrating Tseltal spiritual practices (e.g., collective prayers, the cargo system). Women's and youth participation in the workforce and leadership roles has grown significantly.
• Environmental Sustainability: Implementation of agroecological practices, use of organic fertilizers, and the adoption of household-level solar dryers contribute to biodiversity conservation, improved soil health, and climate resilience.
• Innovation in Trade: The direct marketing model fosters a bidirectional relationship, increasing product value and ensuring fairness and transparency between producers and conscious consumers. Yomol A’tel is recognized as a living example of a transformative economy, successfully building an alternative system centered on Life, people, the territory, and the care for Mother Earth.