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June 2002
by K.C. O'Keefe
Cusco, Perú
All I could see was the twinkling stars in the Cusco sky bordered by the reflective light of the headlights on the encroaching jungle canopy. The 170 pound coffee sacks were fairly comfortable to lie on and the night air refreshingly cool.
Our four-ton straight truck bounced and swayed its way down the windy dirt roads which eventually lead us back to base town. Six hours, two flat tires and one brake repair later we were able to get a cold shower and fall into bed.
 Although I slept a bit on the back of the truck, I must admit it was nice to get more than five hours of sleep on a non-moving surface before heading out again the next morning.
Now we, Hector and I, are sitting in the Cusco airport satisfied with a good week and a half of visiting several of the Cusco coffee communities we are working with. There are so many adventures to tell I don't know where to begin: chewing coca leaves, evaluating farms, committing to more coffee, eating the most delicious raw honey just out of the hive, hiking 5 hours up the canyon, traveling over the 14,000 foot pass, attending a Quechuan church service, eating Granadilla just off the vine ...
The most satisfying day was visiting the Tres Quebradas farmers. In such a remote community there is only one phone, and that has not been consistently working, so we arrived unannounced. The secretary of the committee was able to put an announcement on the local (very local) radio station the night we arrived.
As a result the next day we were able to walk through four different farms, and at the end of the day have a meeting with most of the farmers.
I was amazed by their commitment. Many of them walked 5 hours down the steep mountainsides just to meet with us. During the 5 to 8 pm meeting we were able to cover this year's coffee purchase and roast and cup the first sample of this year's crop. The farmers became extremely intrigued in learning how to cup their own coffees. I enjoyed answering their questions of enthusiasm, even with the difficulty of translating everything into Quechuan. At the end of the night we dispersed with hearty hand shakes and cheek kisses, accompanied by grateful words. They walked up the hillsides into the darkness, while we headed to dinner happy with day.
Thank you for your participation in helping farmers of the world receive their reward for producing quality coffee.
K.C. O'Keefe
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