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Learn how to make chocolate and discover Mayan culture in Panajachel, Guatemala

Availability

  2025 

 Min stay requested: at least 3 weeks

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Details

  • Description

    Description

    We are a small artisanal chocolate, jewelry, and gluten free baking company in Panajachel. We are currently working to open a retail store and cultural center. We are in the organization and building stage.

    PLEASE READ OUR ENTIRE PROFILE BEFORE WRITING US.

    2 WEEK MINIMUM unless otherwise stated.


    CURRENT OPPOURTUNITIES:

    1) Website help, we need a new website. 3 week minimum.

    2) Administrative, office organization, and store opening help. Must have experience. ONE MONTH minimum.

    3) Light construction and woodworking. Installation of drawers, cabinets, and doors. ONE MONTH minimum.

    4) Graphics and sign painting on our building. 3 week minimum.


    A typical work day looks like this:

    Breakfast 9AM
    Work 11AM to 1PM
    Lunch 1PM
    Work 2PM to 5PM
    Dinner 6PM

    We do a lot of things outside of these hours with many opportunities to participate and learn new skills.
    ANY PARTICIPATION OUTSIDE OF WORK HOURS IS OPTIONAL AND NOT REQUIRED.

    If you love cats and are willing to spend time and play with our cat "Tako" please let us know in your request. We get very busy working here and sometimes don't have enough time to play with him a lot. Anyone who could spend time playing with him each day would be a great asset for us.


    IF YOU CONTACT US FOR ANY REASON PLEASE INCLUDE ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING 4 QUESTIONS SO WE KNOW THAT YOU HAVE CAREFULLY READ OUR PROFILE:


    1 What date do you plan to arrive? Without a potential date we cannot know if we can schedule you.

    2 Which position or positions you are applying for and what skills do you have that make you a good fit for that position?

    3 How long of a time commitment are you are available for?

    4 Have you volunteered with other workaway hosts?



    The transitory nature of volunteers makes it exceedingly difficult for us to know when we will have availability. Things tend to change unexpectedly so feel free to check with us anytime. A lot of our volunteers come from last minute requests so don't hesitate to ask. We cannot confirm requests more than a week or 2 in advance as people's plans often change when traveling.

    If you write to different hosts and wait to pick the best one, please don't include us in your list. We are very busy, but we do take the time to read every request and answer all of them. Please give us a day or 2 to respond so neither of us end up wasting our time.






    Thanks for reading all this, we look forward to hearing from you!

  • Types of help and learning opportunities

    Types of help and learning opportunities

    Charity Work
    Art Projects
    Help with Eco Projects
    Teaching
    Gardening
    DIY and building projects
    Animal Care
    Creating/ Cooking family meals
    Help around the house
    Hospitality/Tourism
    General Maintenance
    Help with Computers/ Internet
  • Interests

    Interests

    Culture
    Videography
    Pets
    Sustainability
    Self development
    Charity work
    Plant care
    Cooking & food
    Gardening
    Photography
  • Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

    Depending on the country a volunteer comes from, they can benefit from language practice, new culinary experiences, and appreciating the different perspectives of similar subjects. Everyone learns something different with us depending on what it is that interests them. We do many things here. From chocolate, jewelry, cooking and making things, to gardening, philosophy, recycling, social responsibility and gender equity.

  • Help

    Help

    5 hours per day, 5 days a week.

    We are offering positions for enthusiastic persons to help us with our new project. Minimum time commitments of 2 to 4 weeks. We have an exceptional project and like to work with exceptional people. We are building a project with the goal to empower local Mayan women and men to be able to access funds generated by the tourist industry in a pragmatic way that improves their educational and economic situation. Our place is not for everyone. This is a serious project about service. It requires dedication and is not always fun. If you are truly service oriented in you participation with workaway we could potentially be a great fit for each other.

    We are not open to the public yet, we are still building and organizing for the time being. If you come please be prepared for chaos, listening, learning, and paying attention to how we work. It's usual in the beginning that there will be times when you are waiting for something to do so patience is key. It always takes time to understand how things operate here. That's the reason we give preference to people who can spend a longer time with us.

    We offer an unusual opportunity to learn about the history, science, and making of chocolate, recycling, kitchen chemistry, Mayan culture, fermentation, gluten free baking, how to make ice cream, flavor balancing, and many many other things. Mornings are free time and we usually start working around 10 or 11 and break for a meal around 2, but schedules often change for various reasons so flexibility is key.

    Our kitchen is full of professional equipment and unless someone is trained how to operate safely inside they will need to be supervised by someone who is. Anyone who wants to help and learn kitchen skills can do that in their off hours.

    If you are mature, self reliant, result oriented, and want to help move our projects forward, we welcome you to send a request. Volunteers looking for a convenient cheap way to travel and go out at night and party, or if you need to drink EVERY DAY, please do not request a position with us as we are not a good fit. There are often volunteer opportunities at the many hostels in our area that will be much better suited to that lifestyle.

    LONG TERM VOLUNTEERS ARE GIVEN PRIORITY.

  • Languages spoken

    English: Fluent
    Spanish: Intermediate

  • Accommodation

    Accommodation

    We have a volunteer room with beds at our house in the center of Panajachel.

  • What else ...

    What else ...

    There are several villages here on the lake to visit. Local boats serve them all economically and often. As someone who has lived here 45 years the host can help you plan travel here or many other places in the country.

  • A little more information

    A little more information

    • Internet access

    • Limited internet access

      Limited internet access

    • We have pets

    • We are smokers

    • Can host families

  • How many Workawayers can stay?

    How many Workawayers can stay?

    More than two

  • My animals / pets

    My animals / pets

Host ref number: 143714373487

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