More than a cup of coffee: Guatemala trip brings real-world inequality issues to life
Emily Sanchez (left), a social and cultural analysis major, and Gabrielle Fils-Aime (right), a culture, technology and environment major, learn how to pour coffee at Juan Ana Coffee in Guatemala as part of an ASU Global Intensive Experiences trip. Photo by Julia Sarreal/ASU
Kailynn Gerstenberger drinks two to three cups of coffee a day — more when she’s studying for exams at Arizona State University.
But it wasn’t until a spring break trip to Guatemala that she truly understood how much goes into transforming small red coffee cherries from a faraway farm into the drink she buys daily.
Gerstenberger was among 14 ASU students who traveled to the Central American nation to explore inequality issues in the country through hands-on experiences with coffee production, textile weaving and community-based organizations.
The trip, which took place March 8–15, is part of ASU’s Global Intensive Experiences program. The program is open to all students, regardless of their major, and combines international travel with classroom learning.
“This is not a service trip,” said Julia Sarreal, a professor in ASU’s New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, who co-led the trip. “This is a learning experience. Students are not just feeling good about helping — they’re understanding how deep inequality is and how communities are addressing it.”
From classroom to coffee fields
Before traveling, students spent weeks studying Guatemala’s history, economy and social culture, including how inequality in the country is shaped by factors such as race, gender and limited access to education.
Once they were there, those lessons came to life.
Students walked through rural coffee-growing communities near Antigua, where small producers cultivate coffee on modest-sized farms. There, they picked ripe coffee cherries, peeled back their layers and tasted the sweet pulp surrounding the coffee bean. They learned that coffee trees take three to five years to bear fruit.
“I had no idea how much work went into my coffee,” said Gerstenberger, a second-year student at the School of Interdisciplinary Forensics. “Being able to walk beside them and see it and hear about everything else that goes into it was really eye-opening. I appreciated it a lot more.”
For Joshua Norris, the experience of being in the fields brought a new level of awareness.
“It was simple work, but it quickly became clear how much time and care goes into something most of us consume without thinking about it,” said Norris, a student in the Thunderbird School of Global Management. “You are moving slowly, selecting only the ripe berries and realizing that each one represents a small part of a much larger process."
He added that the experience reshaped how he understands global supply chains.
“What surprised me was how physically and time-intensive it is at the very beginning of the process,” Norris said. “It gave me a different perspective on the price of coffee and how little visibility most consumers have into what happens before it reaches a cup.”
Understanding inequality in everyday products
Sarreal said studying the concept of inequality alone can feel abstract for students. The program used coffee and textiles as an opportunity for a broader and more engaging conversation about the issue.
“When you connect it to something like coffee or textiles, things people interact with every day — it becomes real,” she said. “Coffee and textiles are two ways that we saw that communities and people were addressing inequality and getting better wages.”
Through visits with cooperatives and nonprofits, students learned how global supply chains leave producers with the smallest share of profits.
Students also participated in an exercise where they took roles as players in the coffee supply chain. Some were growers. Others were retailers. They all negotiated prices and quickly learned that small coffee producers are often the ones who absorb the greatest financial losses.
“That was an eye-opening moment,” said Carlos Vargas, an instructor in ASU’S School of Humanities, Arts and Cultural Studies, who co-led the trip. “When prices need to adjust, it’s usually the producer who gets squeezed.”
Guatemala’s high altitude and volcanic soils help produce some of the world’s highest-quality coffee, yet small farmers earn only a fraction of its value.
For example, while specialty coffee sold for $24–$29 a pound in the U.S. in 2025, Guatemalan growers typically received just $1.20 to $2.50 per pound and often made only a few thousand dollars annually, according to the Specialty Coffee Transaction Guide.
Students learned about coffee cooperatives in Guatemala that help farmers secure fair prices, access training and build financial stability.
Norris said seeing that dynamic firsthand helped connect classroom concepts to the real world.
“Instead of thinking about supply chains in abstract terms, you can see the human effort, the local systems and the economic realities that shape how products move from origin to market,” Norris said.
Beyond the coffee fields, students also saw clear contrasts between wealth and poverty as they traveled throughout the country. They visited both affluent homes and communities facing economic hardship, witnessing disparities in housing and access to education.
“In some areas, elementary school is the highest level many students can complete before needing to work,” said Vargas, who was born and raised in Guatemala. “That’s very different from what most of our students are used to.”
For Gerstenberger, the experience reshaped her understanding of inequality.
“There’s definitely poverty, but people are working hard to address it,” she said. “They’re building communities, helping each other and creating opportunities.”
Students also explored Guatemala’s rich textile traditions, working alongside Indigenous Maya women who taught them various weaving techniques on backstrap looms.
The hands-on experience revealed both the time and physical skill required to create handmade textiles.
“When students tried weaving themselves, they realized how much effort goes into it,” Vargas said. “They started to understand why these products should be valued more.”
A lasting impact
Sarreal said that the program aims to leave a lasting impression on how students think about global systems and their role within them.
She hopes students come away from the experience with a deeper sense of empathy and responsibility.
“This is an investment,” she said. “We want students to think about inequality in their own communities and as global citizens — through what they buy, how they engage and how they contribute.”
For many students, that shift has already begun.
One student left with a desire to volunteer for the Peace Corps, while another started exploring volunteer opportunities in her home state.
“Many of them had moments where it just hit them,” Vargas said. “Or perhaps it became personal and they finally internalized it. It's something that you don't get to fully grasp until you see it and perhaps experience it. Those were the best moments in the whole trip for me.”
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