Chetumal, Quintana Roo — A group of artisans in the coastal town of Mahahual has begun the process of forming a civil association to sell their products directly to tourists, cutting out intermediaries who currently take a significant share of the profits.
Martha Paola Covarrubias, a local artisan, said the town has both craftspeople who make their own goods and merchants who buy products elsewhere to resell. She stressed the need for an organization that truly represents the actual producers.
At least a dozen artisans who create souvenirs, decorative items, and products inspired by the cultural and natural identity of the Costa Maya region are seeking better conditions to sell directly to national and international visitors.
“We are organizing to form a civil association. We considered a union, but it didn’t meet our needs because each artisan will remain independent and won’t have to answer to a union structure,” Covarrubias explained.
Beyond regularizing their activity, the association aims to facilitate direct sales and reduce the role of middlemen. Covarrubias noted that a key problem arose when previous attempts to organize failed because many producers could not secure sales spaces, which were taken by merchants who do not make the products they sell.
A formal group will also enable training programs, participation in fairs, access to government support, and promotional strategies to help position products made in southern Quintana Roo.
