Lomitos

Speaking of food, one of the most memorable meals was at a lomito shop. Usually made with beef or pork, it is a popular sandwich in South America. Argentina and Chile have their own version as well. Raising cattle is a huge part of the economy, and my taste buds certainly appreciate it.

At this particular shop, we ordered lomitos with a Middle Eastern twist. Maybe it became my favorite because it reminded me of street food in downtown LA, maybe it was because of the superb garlic sauce, or maybe it was because it was the perfect hand-held meal. In any case, I'll definitely be searching for more on my next trip to Paraguay!

Lomito Árabe, the Middle-Eastern inspired version of this popular sandwich

Frying it up!

My favorite coffee shop

My favorite coffee shop was one we found in Curuguaty, which didn't have any signage beyond a friendly 'Bienvenidos'. It wasn't until we were inside admiring the lampshades made of old copper tea kettles and ooh-ing and ahh-ing over the delicious pastries that we realized what we had stumbled upon. 

Beautiful cappucino, empañada, and guava tart

Pizza-inspired empañada

The owner, Graciela, was incredibly friendly. She was asking about where we were from and wanted us to tell everyone what a great place Paraguay is. She let me keep one of the books lining her shelves, which was about Paraguayan folklore. I was delighted, and even more so when I realized that it had sheet music in the back! We stopped in three days in a row, and enjoyed having her breakfast much more than the offerings back at the hotel.

Our group getting caffeinated

Ñanduti

Ñanduti, meaning spiderweb in the Guarani language, is the name of Paraguay's famous lace-craft. It first made an appearance in the late 16th century after the Spaniards introduced it, and made an appearance at just about every little market we stumbled upon.

Working on a new project

Various designs...too bad my suitcase wasn't larger

This shop specialized in ñanduti designs...from tiny earrings, to embroidered shirts, to hats, decorative wall hangings, and more. I love how colorful and intricate each one was! For as many products as were in that shop, there were unique variations in each item and it was so difficult to choose which ones I wanted to buy (or rather, which ones to leave behind)!!

Should I buy it off the mannequin??

Befriending the Potter

During one of our excursion days we wandered in to the shop of a ceramic artist named Gregoria. Her shop is an extension of her family's home, and she invited us behind the scenes to see her workspace.

Gregoria posing with our girls

It was really special to be able to not only see projects still in progress, but to be told about how they made their own brick kiln and their own red glaze from the earth in their own backyard. What a special touch! Even the smoke from the kiln can end up staining the pottery and adding another artistic layer.

Demonstrating how to add color with a glaze made from the dirt in their own backyard

The handmade kiln in the workshop

Chickens were a recurring motif. There were many tiny little chicken figurines in black or white, one for good luck and one for love. Many of her ceramics involved animals...one of my favorites was the large vase in the center with a snake winding around the spout and frogs clinging to the sides. I settled for bringing home an armadillo-shaped bowl.

Some of the items in the ceramics shop

Meeting Guayaki and the Ache

During the beginning of our second week in Paraguay, we traveled to Curuguaty. It is a rural town of about 65,000 people and is an agricultural hub. We stayed at a hotel in Curuguaty, but drove every day to the Ache community of Koe Tuvy, where about 60 indigenous families live on a reservation.

Our contact, Katie, has worked stateside for the company Guayaki for 10 years. In case you aren't familiar with Guayaki, they sell yerba mate drinks as well as loose leaf yerba mate. I admire their commitment to sustainability and social impact. Here are a few excerpts from their website to illustrate their mindset:

"Guayakí stands for a new model of regenerative business that reaches deep and wide across our supply web to regenerate the life, health and future prosperity of the social and ecological systems that we touch."

"Guayakí’s 2020 mission is to steward and restore 200,000 acres of South American Atlantic rainforest and create over 1,000 living wage jobs. To accomplish this, we take a co-participatory approach to working with approximately 1,100 families in three nations to grow yerba mate. This approach allows for the redistribution of wealth and avoids concentration of power."

 The Ache are traditionally hunter-gatherers, and are deeply in tune with the forest. They have only been living on this reservation since the mid-70's because of a series of land-grabs and nasty development. Guayaki partners with them to cultivate yerba mate among all the other plants in the forest. This method produces a superior shade-grown product as well as promotes preservation of the rainforest by maintaining biodiversity.

 


As it turns out, the name Guayaki is actually the indigenous tribe name of these native people (Ache is what others have called them). The company has set up a fund for all the royalties associated with this name, and the community meets to decide how their needs should be met. Last year, a yurt was built as a school. In fact, a previous Whole Foods Market Team Member Volunteer Program group got to participate in building it. This year, we did several other small community service projects.

Fundación Paraguaya

Fundación Paraguaya is a micro-finance organization based in Asunción, Paraguay, but it is also much more...they have a huge focus on social development and their vision is "that it is possible to eliminate, and not just lessen, poverty." Not only do they provide loans to low-income families working in the informal sector, but they also follow up with opportunities for training and advisement.

In order to get a loan, a woman must form a small group to participate with her. These are usually close friends and family. Essentially, they are all co-signers, and are each held liable for the full amount. The group decides how to divvy up the funds among themselves...perhaps the newest member in an established group gets a smaller portion at first in order to prove herself. This mentality of shared fate encourages them to overcome problems together. The loans are usually for about a year, and are due at the end of the period rather than at monthly due dates. Once paid back, the group is eligible for another loan.

We had the opportunity to visit one of these groups in their neighborhood during one of their monthly meetings. Most of these women were part of an extended family whose main business is weaving straw hats. They sell these unfinished products to a local factory, who goes on to customize and distribute them. Many of the women also had side projects as well, and we were able to see a small store that one woman had set up in her house. Another sells vegetables. This particular group has been together for 7 loan cycles, and has grown from 16 to 22 members.

At this meeting, a field officer checked in with them and discussed the theme of child education and well-being. They also recapped a recent contest based on re-purposing recycled materials. Those projects were proudly on display...ranging from decorative vases to baskets to piggy banks.

I was impressed with the initiative that these women showed. They've come up with interesting ways to provide for themselves as well as be there for each other and better their community. Something else that they thought up was using WhatsApp as a tool to document and educate about domestic violence within their community.

Fundación Paraguaya has spearheaded some other interesting concepts as well. Read more about the Poverty Stoplight and the San Francisco Agriculture School.

San Francisco Agriculture School

If you ran a school in which tuition fees only covered 4% of the budget, would you be nervous about its profitability? At the San Francisco Agriculture School, this isn't a problem in the least. In fact, this school is totally self-sustaining and profit generating.

In a rural low-income town outside of the capital city of Asunción, Fundación Paraguaya has blended the social development goals of a quality high school education with entrepreneurship and hands-on work experience. This model allows graduates to either continue their studies at college, or have the tools to create an income in their own community. Students here rotate through various sectors of agriculture operations as well as hotel operations. You can stay at the Cerrito hotel on your next vacation, or book it as a conference center if you'd like!

The main entrance and hotel lobby

The Whole Foods group getting a tour through the campus

Some friendly faces

Enjoying cheese made on-site by students