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MicroCredit Beneficiaries Produce Habanero Salsa
5/19/2010
 Delicious! Hach Ki, a new habanero salsa, is about to hit the market. Habanero chilies originate in the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico where the Mayan people still grow them in their purest form. Hach Ki is the Mayan word for delicious.
Through small loans granted by the University of St. Thomas MicroCredit Program and the Ayuda para Ayudar Foundation, Mayan women are able to continue the tradition of cultivating habanero chilies as a sustainable source of income.
“To date, the MicroCredit Program’s Mayan Project is working with 53 Mayan communities in the Mayan peninsula,” said Dr. Rogelio Garcia-Contreras, a UST Associate Professor of International Studies who advises the student-run program at UST. “Currently, we support about 130 individuals with up to $15,000 in microloans. Beneficiaries of our loans focus mainly in the production of crops, honey and crafts. With the help of Fundacion Produce, a facility to manufacture habanero salsa has been built. We’re proud to assist these Mayan women in their venture.”
 Volunteering her time and services to the project is painter and illustrator Sister Mary Roberta Connors, FSE, who designed the label. Sister Mary Roberta runs Franciscan Graphics.
Sister Aurora del Rivero, STJ, is president of the APA Foundation. “APA is our field partner in the Yucatan,” Garcia-Contreras said. “Without them it would not be possible to find our beneficiaries, or provide them with all the assistance they need so our loans have a successful effect.”
Coca Cola Bottling Company in Mexico has agreed to donate the bottle. Once Hach Ki Salsa become available, it will be sold on the UST campus at MicroCredit fundraisers and in various retail locations in Houston. The salsa will also be sold in Mexico.
Shown at top from left to right: UST MicroCredit Student Volunteers Hiba Haroon and Lauren George with Sr. Mary Roberta Connors, FSE. Shown above, the label designed by Sr. Mary Roberta Connors.
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