New Office, New Customers, New Demand for Shared Interest!
Despite the calendar saying we are now here at the beginning of the autumn, the summer refuses to abandon Lima. So, it has been very nice to start working with warm weather! And I am now writing you from my improvised new “office”: my bedroom. Luckily, from this position, I cannot see my bed! Nevertheless, it is not a big issue to start working at home, it has its advantages actually, but it will better to find a suitable office soon. At the beginning I thought it would be very easy to find a small office in a centric area of Lima, but the reality is quite different. I was in contact with a couple of state agents or brokers who search for offices and houses. They both agreed that due to the size I am looking for, it is much better to drive through some main streets and try to find one directly! It seems it will take more time than I thought. Today I saw 2 of the options they suggested, but I think those offices are too big… my search will continue and I will let you know the (good) news.
Recently I had the opportunity to meet the guys from Sustainable Harvest. They are very nice people and are willing for me to travel with them in their next trip to visit producers. There was a possibility to share an office with them, but they will need all the space they have available now. Also I met Daniel Rivera from Root Capital and their Investment Officer, Luis Miguel Ormeño, who is based in Boston and was visiting the offices in Lima. Both Sustainable Harvest and Root Capital agreed that the main weaknesses of smaller cooperatives and producers are the management and communication skills. Because of that, they have a poor and limited planning and also it is easy for the middle-men to seduce individual producers offering a “better” price. That leads to short term relationships and weakening of the bonding of the cooperative members. Probably we will notice the same situation all around the world for this type of small organization.
I also had my first meeting (not by Skype or phone!) with a potential new customer: Mountain Coffee. It is a small coffee cooperative that needs a facility for the current harvest (does that sound familiar to you?). They are located in Chanchamayo, Junin, around 7 or 8 hours by bus from Lima. They are aware of our lending position, but they are willing to start the relationship and apply to for Producer Export Credit Facility. What we discussed during Shared Interests AGM was totally correct. The need of funding for the cooperatives is almost in its peak here, and they really need our support. The following months will tell us what will happen. Regarding our current customers, I have many expectations about the trip to Atlanta in order to participate in the SCAA Conference. It is a great opportunity to meet them and naturally potential new ones.
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I was interested and encouraged to read this. I have visited Peru twice to stay with friends in Arequipa. Milagro stayed with me in Edinburgh when she was studying and is the only one of the family who speaks English so I have interesting visits in a non-verbal kind of way as she is usually working -as a Vet in a Laboratory there. As far as I can tell my friends are mainly concerned with supporting the family especially the health and education. One of the younger members a teacher was running a school for poor children but gave up for lack of funds and ill-health- caused by stress. I also visited Cusco and stayed with British contacts with Latin Link. I am sad that I am no linguist and find it more difficult to learn these days so I have never managed to explore there on my own! I do remember my time in Lima and Puno where I am always rather ill!
So pleased be encouraged- your work is so important!
Jean