Gervasia Rivera Rivera
Gervasia Rivera Rivera, la dama que engalana nuestro empaque
Told by: Mr. Rafael Rodríguez (son and owner)
My mother, Mrs. Gervasia Rivera Rivera (1908-2000) and my father, Mr. Fernando Rodriguez (1904-1993), may they both rest in peace, planted with their union the roots that started our family. Together they had 17 children (13 girls and 4 boys), who in turn enriched our family with many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, great-great-grandchildren.
My mother was a worker of the land all her life. She never went to school, she did not know how to read or write. She never had any material goods in abundance. She lived a humble, difficult, self-sacrificing life - without envy, without greater pretensions, which forged a strong, resilient character... an unbreakable will and health, which fed hard work in the field. I never saw her get sick beyond a cold. She could not afford to get sick with so many children. She was always the solid oak that resisted inclement weather.
From my mother I inherited the love and passion for the land, in particular, the cultivation of coffee: from the plant to the cup on your table. Her brewed coffee was recognized throughout the neighborhood as the best! - "Bacho's" coffee!"
I keep two great lessons from her in my heart; the first, the virtue of sharing. She never took a bite of food without first offering it to whoever was nearby. The first thing she offered to the visitor: a cup of her coffee, a piece of fruit or an invitation to join us for lunch. And even in the last years of her life, ill with Alzheimer's, she never forgot this custom.
The other lesson she left us, (deeply imprinted in me) and on which she constantly insisted: “Look, my son, things are done right the first time because nobody appreciates things done badly.”
For me, these are two brilliant maxims that define my “philosophy of life” to achieve success and the fullness of existence.
Thank you, Mother, for life, for your teachings, for everything you did…!
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!