| Oaxaca
City has a number of places to purchase natural products
and local goods. The trend toward a more eco market started
back in 2003 and we've been keeping track of the eco-minded,
social-minded leaders since.
POCHOTE - As of 2009, now in two flavors!
The movement toward natural foods made a huge leap with the
creation of the Friday/Saturday Pochote
Market, Garcia Vigil #817, began in November 2003. It was
an incubator of sorts for other markets that followed. Many
of the members have left or have been exiled for reasons explained
in our feature.
ESTACIÓN - The Tuesday, Friday and
Sunday Tianguis
Ecológico La Estación began in January 2007
at the old
train station. Sundays are the best day to visit. (Flickr)
(Video)
(Wiki)
ECO MARKET WITHOUT A NAME - The Friday Eco
Market, Garcia Vigil #702, began in the summer of 2005 as
members who left the Pochote started their own market first
called Multi-Bio. The name was dropped in 2008. In 2009 due
to the latest tree
crisis, the market is again on the move with two of the
venders selling outside the Biznaga Restaurant Fridays from
10am-1pm. We'll let readers know where to find the popular sausages
and chocolates. (Flickr)
STORES
El Arte Oaxaqueño,
Mina #317, is about to celebrate its 50th anniversary.
Many of the venders have created their own natural food stores,
including Xiguela,
Hidalgo #104-C, Yunhiz, Gonzalez Ortega #400 and Bambú,
Margarita Maza #414. There are other stores with similiar ideas
including Casa de Angel (on the east side of Conzatti
Park).
Other stores focus on crafts, such as Blackbox,
5 de Mayo #412, which promotes new designs and features local
artisans. This store joins a long list of favorite places which
have showcased Oaxaca's impressive folk art.
Outside of town the Mixe-owned Ayuuk
store on the east side of the plaza in Santa María
del Tule celebrates its second anniversary in March 2008.
WHO SELLS
Many of the markets impose a limit on the number of venders
of a particular product. None of the markets, display in public
their rules or mission statement.
CERTIFICATION
One of the questions that has come up is whether products are
organic.
Certification remains a tricky subject. It is very expensive
for producers and it rarely explained to buyers. The focus is
mostly on the products, not the market itself. Consequently,
while purchased goods made be organic, markets lack recycling.
At the Pochote partners certified themselves in 2006. There
was no participation from clients. In 2007 about half the members
agreed to a new program. Certification in both cases focus on
whether the products are organic. It does not review distribution
nor recycling.
In 2008 the market contracted Certimex services.
The biggest problem for clients is that rarely are the processes
explained. Outside of constancias, there has been little
public documentation.
A FEW WORDS ABOUT HONEY
Cooperatives have formed in the past few years that attempt
to provide higher income for members. One example are the honey
producers, who sold their raw goods at 15 pesos a kilo. The
honey was sold at 70 pesos a kilo or combined with other products
as 'mermalada de elote.' |
