Salud Para Vida!
Health for Life!
Welcome to Salud Para Vida Health Food Store located in D'noz Plaza at the Main Dock in San Pedro la Laguna on the shore of beautiful Lake Atitlan, Guatemala.
We are a small neighborhood health store bringing a little comfort and a lot of high quality healthy products to travelers, tourists, ex-patriots & Guatemalans.
Since our opening in July of 2009, many people from around the world have told us how much it reminds them of their little health food store or co-op back home.
Many of the “comfort foods” you know and recognize are already being worked on to be made locally and eventually for export.
We support local farmers and product producers who abide by organic and sustainable methods.
Our kitchen serves vegetarian specials all day long. Take a load off and enjoy a fresh juice, or a wide variety of medicinal teas, or organic coffee at the bar or take something with you. We recognize food allergies and have gluten-free and raw food specials. Our food is prepared with love.
Fresh breads are baked daily!
We are working towards carrying a full line of Phosphate Free, bio-degradable cleaners; and are working to help provide solutions for the future care and preservation of the lake by making these cleaners affordable to all.
A crisis has developed which puts the future of Lake Atitlan and it’s inhabitants in grave jeopardy. The most beautiful lake in the world has reached it’s capacity to fend off the many years of neglect and abuse. Unfortunately, we can’t change the past and reverse the years of wastewater dumping, pesticide and fertilizer residues, trash dumping, etc. We can however, work together to do our part to help treat the lake with the repect and love that it deserves going forward. I don’t think that any of us can afford to build the wastewater treatment plants ourselves, but we can do our part in other ways.
SALUD PARA VIDA’S GOALS AND PLANS
- Introduce and manage a business recycling and composting program for restaraunts, hotels, tiendas, and any one else willing to participate. The organic compost which will be produced will help begin to offset the use of inorganic fertilizers. The money raised from the recycling program will be reinvested into growing the program. A location for the composting center has already been established. This will include training and educating everyone on proper compost management. There are more than enough coffee shells from production to provide abundant nitrogen to these piles so they will mature. As the center is built we will provide pictures and more information on how you can help.
- Be the premier supplier of phosphate free cleaners and organic fertilizers and to be able to buy large bulk quantities so they will be affordable to all.
- Help farmers to grow border crops like stevia and other profitable super foods that also serve as natural pesticides. Help to export super foods that are cultivated to help offset extremely competitive markets like coffee.
- Similar to what they have in Antigua and some pueblos that don’t have an abundant water source, build community washing pilas for laundry so they don’t have to wash clothes in the lake. Along with more efficient gray water management and more cisterns to collect water reserves that currently go wasted.
- Work with corporations and NGO's who may have money and goods to contribute.
- We have struggled since opening to find quality organic vegetable sources, and we refuse to sell non-organic produce. To this end, we are talking to people with unused land to begin organic vegetable gardens. These gardens aren’t just for our consumption and sale, but will serve as training places for all farmers who are interested in going organic. Then create sales channels to sell the organic produce.
Well, I guess that is enough to start with, and it certainly won’t happen all at once, but we are starting. It always seems that the more collective energy put towards a goal, the greater the chance of manifestation. Maybe all the layers of bureaucracy that make the decisions will see what is going on and put more effort into getting it done.
We all must find ways to work together and with the local population on proper solutions which will help, not hurt the Lake.
There is lots of information on the current algae bloom in Lake Atitlan at http://www.lakeatitlanhealth.com
If you are interested in a health food store featuring vegetarian, organic, raw food, gluten free bakery products, natural cleaners, vitamins, essential oils, teas, and a fresh juice bar with catering in San Pedro La Laguna at Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, then we're THE PLACE!