Dear friends,
Let me introduce you to Madame Enez.
This week I watched her carefully roasting peanuts over an open flame. Slow. Patient. Intentional. The smell alone could carry you straight to a Haitian kitchen.
She is making mamba — Haiti’s traditional peanut butter.
But this is not the smooth, uniform spread you find on grocery store shelves. Mamba is bold. It carries heat and character. It is made with sel (salt), piment (hot pepper), and djondjon (ginger). It reflects the land and the hands that prepare it.
And now, it is one of the products that will be sold at the new CODEP store.
Alongside mamba, they will offer:
- Locally grown peanuts
- Ground corn
- Coffee
- Chocolate
- Handcrafted wooden boards
These are not just products. They are proof that even in difficult times, the community continues to create, produce, and trade.
Many of you have asked why our newsletters slowed down. The truth is, the work never slowed. Life in Haiti has required focus, flexibility, and presence on the ground.
But stories like Madame Enez’s remind us that the mission is not only about trees and gardens. It’s about income, dignity, and cultural continuity.
The CODEP store is small. The margins are modest. But the impact is meaningful.
Every jar of mamba represents:
A woman’s labor
A household’s income
A local economy strengthened
A tradition preserved
This is what sustainable work looks like. Not flashy. Not loud. But steady.
We’re grateful to you — because your support makes it possible for CODEP members to keep building enterprises like this.
From reforestation to mentorship, from hurricane recovery to peanut butter production — the work continues.
And so does the hope.
With appreciation,
Michael Anello
Executive Director
Haiti Reforestation Partnership