Why the Leightons Gave Up Maxwell House
Written by Elizabeth Leighton (pictured above, drinking coffee with her dad at Café Juan Ana)
There are a lot of products we consume on a daily basis, but how often do we stop to think how our consumption could be benefiting other people?
This question crossed my mind recently during my family’s visit to the San Lucas Mission. I have been a Long-Term Volunteer here at the Mission since January, and my family finally got the chance to visit and see the Mission for themselves, learning more than what they’ve just heard from me through FaceTime. The group included my mom, dad, and aunt, and it was their first time in Guatemala. My parents are both journalists and as a result, full of questions. I took them all on the Half-Day Tour, which gives visitors a quick introduction to each of the seven programs at the Mission. The program they had the most questions for was Café Juan Ana.
As most donors and visitors likely know, the Café Juan Ana program supports local growers by purchasing their ripe coffee at around 40% higher than the national market price. This helps small local growers by providing them with a more stable economic situation, therefore covering more basic needs for their families such as food, health, education, and housing.
My aunt was very curious about how many growers are supported by Café Juan Ana and subsequently, how the Coffee Program finds these growers. Jenifer, a Coffee Packager at Café Juan Ana who was giving the presentation, explained how, although these growers are small, many of them also employ people outside of their own family. Therefore, each grower that Café Juan Ana buys from often benefits multiple families.
Since coming to Guatemala in January, I have found the mission of Café Juan Ana very inspiring. But it wasn’t until this moment that I was on stage translating Jenifer’s responses to my family’s questions, that it clicked in my brain how many people are being helped by this business model. And that the way we can support it is simple – just drink a cup of Café Juan Ana coffee!
In my first three months here in Guatemala, January through March, I noticed how many of the intentions read at Mass were expressing gratitude to God for the coffee harvest. This took me by surprise because, growing up in suburban Massachusetts, I was never surrounded by agriculture or lived in a community where the economic wellbeing of people relied so heavily on something very largely outside of their control.
If any visitors have had the privilege of visiting San Lucas during the coffee harvesting season, it’s something that is pretty visible. You can see coffee growers carrying their bags full of ripe coffee using a mecapal, a nylon strap placed on their forehead to help carry the heavy load. Or weigh stations on the side of the road where individuals drop off their harvest of the day. It is certainly true that coffee is a very large part of the history and culture here in San Lucas.
Back home, my parents are big coffee drinkers. My dad always prepares our coffee pot the night before. He places the filter, measures out five tablespoons of Maxwell House, and fills the pot with water, so that all he has to do in the morning is press the start button. It is a ritualistic part of the day at the Leighton household, one that should not be messed with: a cup of coffee accompanied by the Boston Globe. However, after hearing the history and the mission of the Coffee Program, my parents decided that there was one element of this routine that could be messed with. That being, switching out Maxwell House for Café Juan Ana.
It is surprising how a habit we partake in every day can have such a ripple effect. My parents used to prepare a pot of name brand coffee every morning, maybe two. But now, they are preparing a pot, maybe two, of Café Juan Ana. And although this is happening far away in Massachusetts, this small decision is helping to directly benefit families in San Lucas Tolimán.
I think it can sometimes be easy to lose sight of how much the small decisions we make in a day can actually create change. A cup of coffee can seem like the most insignificant and inconsequential thing in one’s day. However, if we step back and zoom out, a cup of Café Juan Ana versus a cup of Maxwell House actually makes a big difference. It is important for us to see how the simple act of drinking a cup of coffee can have a positive impact on peoples’ livelihood.
I encourage us all to not forget the power of intentionality in decision making. Café Juan Ana is doing great work, and we can support that work by simultaneously doing something that a lot of us like to do: enjoying a cup of coffee.