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Host is looking for help immediately
Host rating
100 %
Last replied
19 Jan 2025
Reply rate
96.4 %
Usually responds within 3 days
Feedback
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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.
ONE MONTH MINIMUM.
CURRENT OPPOURTUNITIES:
1) Light construction help. Attach wood to floors, walls, etc.
2) Gluten free baking help. Pizza, bread, cookies, etc.
3) Indoor plant person. We want to put a lot of plants in the store. Someone to help set up and show us how to maintain the indoor garden.
4) Assist with assorted various projects, general cleaning, gluten free baking and chocolate making. Basically just being flexible and helping out with whatever projects we are working on each day.
5) Streaming assistant. Setup, maintenance and general IRL streaming help.
6) Graphics and sign painting on our building.
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 5 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?
5 Do you understand volunteers are responsible for shopping, preparation, and communal sharing of meals?
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 3 or 4 requests 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
Art Projects
Help with Eco Projects
Teaching
Animal Care
Creating/ Cooking family meals
Help around the house
Hospitality/Tourism
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. The more a person puts into their time with us, the more they get out of it.
Help
We are offering positions for enthusiastic persons to help us with our new project. Minimum time commitments of one month unless otherwise indicated. 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. If you need to be constantly busy then we are probably not a good fit for you because 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, we usually start working around 11. Every day around 1 or so we break for a healthy vegetable salad and often take a break. Then continue until it's time to start preparing dinner. After that those who want to participate are able to, and that's when a lot of opportunities to learn specific things happen. We are flexible in our schedule so not every day is the same.
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.
IMPORTANT! Food shopping, preparation, cooking, and cleaning is shared by the volunteer/volunteers in a vegetarian, gluten free kitchen. We pay food costs but do not shop, cook for you, or clean up after you. We are not a hostel and prefer to host volunteers that want to be part of our team in both food preparation and living situation. PLEASE LET US KNOW YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO THIS WHEN APPLYING FOR A POSITION WITH US.
LONG TERM VOLUNTEERS ARE GIVEN PRIORITY.
Languages spoken
English: Fluent
Spanish: Intermediate
Accommodation
We have a volunteer room with beds at our house in the center of Panajachel.
What else ...
As a long established chocolate business, sampling is offered from time to time.
A little more information
Internet access
Limited internet access
We have pets
We are smokers
Can host families
Can host digital nomads
We have working internet.
How many Workawayers can stay?
More than two
Feedback (26)
We've spent 3 weeks filled with stories (as he is a good storyteller), amazing food ( if you get there, you will definitely change your mind about gluten free baking 😁), excellent icecream and the BEST chocolate in town, in… read more
Photos
Feedback
These are extra optional ratings when members leave feedback. The average rating left for each option is displayed.
Accuracy of profile:
(4.9)
Cultural exchange:
(4.8)
Communication:
(5.0)
We've spent 3 weeks filled with stories (as he is a good storyteller), amazing food ( if you get there, you will definitely change your mind about gluten free baking 😁), excellent icecream and the BEST chocolate in town, in… read more
I spent an unforgettable month in Panajachel, Guatemala, thanks to the exceptional hospitality of Bob and his affectionate cat, Tako. My experience with Workaway was made possible by Bob, who proved to be an outstanding host from the very first contact. Despite my sudden… read more
Day to day varies greatly, and you never quite know what the day (or Bob!), has in store for you!
We learnt about a variety of different skills, not only the chocolate making, but also DIY, making keffir and learning new techniques and recipes in the kitchen to name a few.
Days can be a… read more
Bob himself is a great storyteller, a perfectionist “because that’s what it takes to create something extraordinary” , a chef trained by life, a knowledgeable, emotional, heartwarming human being, a garlic lover, someone who likes to share: knowledge & experiences, food, his time… read more
He’s very knowledgable men, he’ll teach you all about… read more
He is such an interresting man, very caring, funny and full of incredible stories.
I wish I could stay a bit longer with him and keep helping him in his new projects!
Try some of this fantastic hand made Ixcacao chocolate it will help you going through this depressing lockdown ! ;)
I'll see you again Bob !!
The area by Lake Atitlan is really beautiful, especially sunsets! Bob has various interesting projects in progress so it is a good place if you really want to help.
Thank you for amazing cooking and sharing your knowledge about life. I'm glad I could… read more
You will be hosted in a lovely place by a generous person for who you really want to help.
Thank you again and see you in France?
Victoire &… read more
Bob is the most generous host. They took our comfort very seriously.
As they are working on a wide span of activities, from the art of making chocolate to the jewellery, we suggest a long term stay so to get a real enrichment. Get ready to learn tons of many. They are definitely keen to teach and… read more
Staying with him was a great decision, besides as you go to the store and learn how chocolate is made, is just an… read more
Bob, thanks so much for hosting us! You made Panajachel home, and we couldn't ask for a more enriching experience.
-Mel & Joe
Bob is a very caring and thoughtful host and together with his lovely office staff it felt like being part of a very happy family. Bob could not have been more helpful, making sure I was fully orientated when I arrived and ensuring I was comfortable during my… read more
Tranquil location, kitchen was always stocked with a great variety of fruits and veggies. Bob is a great cook but if you're lucky he'll take you out to a few local eateries, jewels of Antigua, that most visitors would never… read more
Bob genuinely cares about providing a beneficial experience for all who come into his house, and treats his workawayers as family. Be prepared to learn a lot while here, about chocolate, cooking, and life.
