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Cafe Camp gives Miguel a taste of Georgia!
It's not every day that the folks in Americus, GA get to spend time with a farmer and marketing director from a coffee coop in Guatemala -- and it's not every day that a farmer from Guatemala gets to visit a group of Georgians and experience their culture first-hand. But that's exactly what's been happening in the hometown of Coop Coffees member Cafe Campesino - since August, Miguel Tzoy of la Asociación Chajulense in Guatemala has been visiting with the community, learning all about the day-to-day of Cafe Campesino, getting accustomed to the unique cuisine, and fitting in regular English lessons into his busy schedule!
It's been almost a month since Miguel Tzoy of la Asociación Chajulense arrived to balmy Georgia for 5 1/2 weeks of full-out southern US immersion. His visit has been a busy one already: while he's not learning the meaning of "y'all" and "howdy" from the friendly locals in English classes 3 days a week, he's floating through the offices and roasting area of Cafe Campesino, finding out what happens to his coop's coffee once it reaches one of Coop Coffees' members. He's also participated in a couple event-planning meetings where he's gotten to see all the hard work that goes into the community outreach that Cafe Campesino does so well. After observing the staff meetings as well as the way everyone at the roastery and cafe does business with their clients and customers, Miguel recognizes and admires their dedication to the cause. "It's not easy what they've done and what they're doing. They've opened and established a path for Fair Trade in the community." In the short time that he's been there, he's been ableto witness how the relatively new cafe has created more than just a place to pick up a good cup of coffee, "It's a meeting place, a place of friendship."
Miguel also had the opportunity to visit Cafe Campesino's sister roastery in Gainesville, FL with Tripp Pomeroy, co-owner of the business. They met with students -- Gainesville has a university campus in which Sweetwater has been quite active in student outreach -- to talk about Fair Trade, Miguel's coop, and the coffee industry in general. To find out more about this event, check out Cafe Campesino's September newsletter here.
But the visit hasn't been just work for Miguel; he's had a lot of fun with the folks in Americus, learning the strange game we like to call "Football" (in Spanish, "futbol americano" as opposed to the "real" football which we call soccer!), fished in a local lake, swam on the Georgian coast, and gotten to know first-hand the cuisine of the southern US (thankfully with no stomach problems to speak of yet!). Miguel is grateful to the many volunteers and friends of Cafe Campesino who have offered their homes, their time, and their English skills to make his experience in Georgian meaningful and educational! This kind of occasion is made possible with the help of the whole community and the flexibility of partners like Miguel and the Asociación. Thanks to everyone who's supported and helped make this happen!
