After several months away on maternity leave, I was really glad to see the familiar faces of co-op managers, presidents, and cuppers at the training event in our office in Lima last week. Everyone had just arrived from their respective homes. To arrive in Lima, they had traveled on average fifteen hours by bus — first over sinuous mountain roads to the coast, and then across the long and monotonous road that crosses the Pacific desert. Among these familiar faces, there was a one that appeared new to me. A humble and slightly shy man, he introduced himself as Jesús, the new president of the Aprocass cooperative.
The first day of the training event started with presentations and discussions on prices, contracts, and quality. Later, we began the process of one-on-one meetings between cooperatives and the roaster representatives at the event. Just before I stepped into the conference room, Jesús, whose meeting was not scheduled until the following day, came over and asked if I would be in the office later that evening. He said his wife had asked him to deliver something to me. I said of course; the meetings were just starting, so I would be at the office for another two hours.
Another twenty minutes passed, and Jesús returned and quietly called me over to him. Timidly, he handed me a small black bag and said, “I have a package for you from my wife, who remembers your visit to our home three years ago very fondly.” And woosh! In that moment, I realized that Jesús was the attentive farmer who welcomed me to his farm and introduced me to his family during a visit three years ago.
Claudia Aleman (foreground) sits down with members of the Aprocass cooperative in Peru
Quickly, my memory transported me to the small, wooden house with a hammock where Jesus and his wife Inocencia slept with their infant son. It was lunchtime, so they had invited us into their simple dining area, where we sat and watched small animals running at our feet — brown and black guinea pigs. Soon the plates of food arrived, each with two potatoes, onions, and of course, well seasoned guinea pig — el manjar del monte or “delicacy of the mountain” as they are called here in Peru — that families serve on special occasions. I was delighted, and what I remember most from that moment is how delicious the guinea pig was — the best that I had eaten in a long time.
I don’t remember what the expression on my face was in that moment as I devoured the meal or how much I praised the food. Yet when Jesus handed me that small black bag in the Lima office three years later — the gift that his wife Inocencia had packaged carefully for the fifteen hour trip — I knew it was guinea pig, prepared especially for me so that I could relive the pleasure that I felt so long ago at their family’s table.
This moment was really special for me, because I have recently realized how small, simple actions, gestures, or even a simple “thank you” can leave an impression on the lives of people that I meet during my travels in this beautiful world of coffee. I have seen how a simple act will be remembered and appreciated for may years, just as a slight will never be forgotten.
I hope it was not only how much I loved their guinea pig that Inocencia and Jesus remember of my visit, but also the message that I brought years ago. The year following my visit to their home, Sustainable Harvest began working with the small Aprocass cooperative. Even in moments when the cooperative faces big challenges, connections like these keep me motivated to continue supporting the farmers of Aprocass and especially Jesús, who has only recently taken over leadership of the co-op. Surely he was elected by the local farmers to represent them because of his kind way with people and his honest principles.
- Claudia Aleman, Sustainable Harvest/Peru
