Plenty’s soy dairy pilot project “Alimentos San Bartolo” was inaugurated on Feb. 15, 1980, near Lake Atitlán. Several hundred local people and officials attended and enjoyed the festivities and free soy ice cream. Agustín Xoquic, President of the San Bartolo Community Association, spoke warmly of the cooperation and help given by Plenty.
It was the enthusiasm and intrepidness on the part of this community that convinced Plenty to locate the pilot soy dairy there. We anticipate the dairy becoming a viable cottage industry that will provide a source of income for the economically disadvantaged community, and an inexpensive source of high-protein food for the townspeople.
Federico Fuentes, head of the National Reconstruction Committee, expressed his gratitude for the joint effort on the part of Plenty, Canadian International Development Agency, and the community association. He said, “Something is going on here that is more than the milk and the bean, and that is the seed that is being planted by the Plenty community.”
Laurie Praskin: The soy dairy project itself was a collaborative effort between the community of San Bartolo, Plenty International, Plenty Canada and the Farm community. An extraordinary aspect of this project was the amount of volunteer time and contributions that went into it. Carpenters, machinists, equipment technicians, support crews as well as the soy and agricultural technicians all donated their time and expertise freely. In addition, families in the United States worked directly to pay for the food and support of the volunteers. All of this volunteer support, as well as some equipment donations, kept the overhead to a minimum and make it difficult to estimate the total cost of the project. Our budget had allotted $32,000 to build the soy dairy, equip and operate it.
La Lecheria de Soya (The Soy Dairy): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ob4eqiD2WIg