Piedras Negras turned out to be so much more than simply a village of Honduran coffee farmers in the mountains. We soon learned it was also a town of conscientious and motivated entrepreneurs. Some of the people in the town had organized themselves and started a used clothing store that eventually failed, but that didn't deter them from looking for success. Next they opened a community bank. Each member was required to pay a fee to join and then invest L$500 (Limpera) each year to remain a voting member. The money still belonged to the person however this way the bank is able to increase its assets every year. The voting members then choose projects to invest in and share the profits with other members. Projects range from big community wide investments to small loans such as helping individuals buy a cow. 

     Currently, the bank's biggest project is operating a grain store. The members use the bank's capital to buy corn from town during the harvest season when prices are low and then store it in big containers for the off season when prices are high. They are able to sell their corn to the villagers slightly below the market price and still make a profit for the bank.
 The bank operates with the help of outside organizations like Trickle Up. The money from outside organizations is invested in the community improvement projects for the benefit of everybody, not just members.  Another entrepreneurial project the community is working on with the bank is producing honey. This project is only two years old and the group already has 20 hives. Their goal in the next two years is to expand their operation to 200 hives. They already have two honey extractors, and they’re building a new building to extract and store the honey. Now, Piedra

s Negras in addition to their staple crop, coffee, has diversified to produce honey, and bee’s wax as well as created a financial system that supports individuals and the whole community.  

~Will