Yomol A’Tel and the Inspirational Paradigm of Jesuit Business Education’s hunger for “experiential learning”

Up in the northern area of the Chiapas region in Mexico is a group of social and solidarity companies that operate under the umbrella of a co-operative known as Yomol A’Tel. The co-operative’s roots go back to the early 2000s when the Jesuits partnered with the indigenous Tseltal coffee growers to improve their economic opportunities and to combat environmental degradation. Yomol A’Tel in the local Tseltal language translates to “Working Together.” It is indeed an initiative where its members work together to produce organic and sustainable coffee, honey, soap, and embroidery products while preserving their cultural heritage (Magis Americas, n.d.). In early January 2024, I had the privilege of accompanying a group of high-powered individuals to have an immersion into Yomol A’Tel’s operations. The group was led by Jesuit Stephen Pitts, a doctoral candidate at the University of Minnesota. Fr. Pitts has done considerable research over the years on Yomol A’Tel, has led multiple groups to Chiapas, and is leading the effort to publicize (and commercialize) their products (Hootsen, 2019). This presentation is concerned with this effort of Fr. Pitts and is intended to be a reflection on how Jesuit business schools globally can collaborate with an initiative such as Yomol A’Tel to enhance experiential learning for their students but also to help in the financial sustainability of the enterprise. We cannot claim to satisfy the experiential learning hunger of the IP by merely placing our students in traditional, for-profit enterprises. Instead, we need to look for organizations that present an alternative model of economics and doing business. Yomol A’Tel provides such an alternative model. In this presentation, I will provide a brief overview of Yomol A’Tel, elaborating on its underlying philosophy. I will also share my experience as a marketing faculty incorporating Yomol A’Tel into my classes over the years. Finally, I will reflect on possibilities for experiential learning that are better aligned with the lofty aims of the Inspirational Paradigm of Jesuit Business Education. Select references: Hootsen, Jan-Albert (2019). What’s in your cup of coffee? Capeltic, a Chiapas-based cooperative, is serving up dignity. America (March 19). https://www.americamagazine.org/politics-society/2019/03/29/whats-your-cup-coffee-capeltic-chiapas-based-cooperative-serving Magis Americas. https://www.magisamericas.org/projects/project-page-the-yomol-atel-cooperative-in-chiapas-mexico/