JESSICA NOTARGIACOMO
Coffee of San Fernando
A documentation of a Peruvian coffee cooperative
Photography by: Jessica Notargiacomo
In October 2007 I found myself in the right place at the right time. My brother, Dan, a barista at the Green Line Cafe (a member of the Independents Coffee Cooperative in Philadelphia) then, told me of an event that was going to happen during his shift. Two Peruvian co-op members, brought to the United States by Equal Exchange, were going to be experiencing a latte for the first time. Always looking for photographic opportunities, I headed over to see if my services were needed. The people representing Equal Exchange and I immediately hit it off and I was then invited to photograph the events that would take place the next two days in Philadelphia. During our last evening together I overheard LJ Taylor, EE’s food service representative, talking about a trip he was planning for September 2009 to Peru. I quickly invited myself and was elated when eight months later LJ called. EE had agreed to let him hire a photographer to document the trip to Peru. I had never been interested in coffee, but I was instantly interested in Equal Exchange.
“Equal Exchange's mission is to build long-term trade partnerships that are economically just and environmentally sound, to foster mutually beneficial relationships between farmers and consumers and to demonstrate, through our success, the contribution of worker co-operatives and fair trade to a more equitable, democratic and sustainable world.”
I have been a professional photographer since December 2002. My main direction is event photography and small photojournalistic photo essays and projects. This project with EE and our visit to a coffee producing village dwarfed by the Andes Mountains, has been the highlight of my career. These photographs tell the story of the coffee bean grown and dried in San Fernando, Peru, the people that nurture it, and an organization supporting “small farmers, big change.”
email: jess@pairedimages.com
website: www.pairedimages.com and http://jessicanotargiacomo.blogspot.com
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