HOW DO WE DO?

We pay our team 4 times the market standard in Guatemala. While the salaries we pay are far from Scandinavian standards, they are beyond satisfactory in a local context and match the salaries of educated nurses and teachers. We are proud of this.

We pay Christmas bonuses to the entire team twice a year. We offer a high degree of flexibility and let the individual woman decide how much work she will take and go on/off work in periods. Some women carry the household responsibility, and everybody is allowed to work from home. We don’t exclude anyone from working with us.

A standard day of work starts at 9 AM and ends around 5 PM. We work Monday to Friday and enjoy each other’s company over coffee breaks and lunch during the day. Working in Pura Utz can be busy but we are in it together and work as a team. We want everyone to go to work with pleasure and do everything we can to create a working environment so happy that the love and joy live on in our products.

FAIRTRADE?

We want to go beyond the principles of fairtrade. Our vision for the women is to feel proud and grow their self-worth by being able to provide for themselves and invest in their futures. To us, ‘Fairtrade’ is the lowest common denominator for fairness. This whole discussion is super difficult and tainted by years of colonisation and being part of a market that is largely dominated by capitalism.

At Pura Utz, we focus on what’s in front of us - and that’s the women in our team. We don’t claim to save the world, but we are on a mission to make a beautiful business that benefits all women in our team. It’s not just about a salary. It’s about being acknowledged, respected and treated as an equal human.

Our journey is constantly evolving - we have learned a lot about our own behavior and the large political discussion we are part of as a social project and brand. We are never certain that we are doing it right and constantly evaluate our model and values and what we contribute with in the world. A few questions we ask ourselves:

Is it possible to have a fair business in a capitalistic market? Is it possible to create a business that actually serves the producing end of the value chain? Will the system we are trying to defy always be reproduced?