Howdy Ags! I’m Parker Kelsey.
It’s an honor and privilege to discuss the business ventures that my study abroad team and I learned about during our time in Peru.
One main company we learned about was Velover Coffee in Lima, Peru. The company is owned and run by Jimmy and Anna Rose Carreno whose first location is in Camino De Vida church. They have an additional location closer to the center of Lima. Working with local suppliers and church elders in this location, they offer fair prices to customers and volunteer hours to those who want to learn how to become baristas. Their company disassociates from the economic trends of Lima, Peru. For the provision and help of those who can’t afford expensive coffee in Peru, the Carreno family meets those families and people where they’re at financially! In hopes to sustain the business, Velover Coffee partners with Camino De Vida to handle the accounting and taxes of the company.
Another organization that we were blessed to be able to see flourish, and help flourish, was a Women’s and Children’s Refugee camp located in Ica, Peru. During our time serving (priming/painting walls, VBS’s with kids, and making chocolate) at the refugee camp are horizon was expanded by the utilization of natural goods and how they make great business opportunities to expand businesses and organizations. The refugee camp made pecan chocolate with the local hazel nuts that grow on the shrubs just outside the refuge. They serenaded the natural pecans with the hazel nuts acquired and wrapped them, like a Hershey’s Kiss, to be able to sell to the local community of Ica.
It was an absolute blessing to be apart of the study abroad group that traveled to Peru to serve the people there as they served us! All in all, the transformation process, of the minds that took part in serving the people of Peru, was a beautiful experience that reshaped the way all of us think about utilizing the resources around us as well as serving the customers well!
