海角大神

Lisa Cherbuliez鈥檚 granola business may be local, but her venture grew out of a commitment to the Congolese village where she served as a Peace Corps volunteer more than 25 years ago.

Motivated to explore the world after she graduated from college,聽Ms. Cherbuliez volunteered in Zaire, now known as Congo, from 1985 to 1989. She saw the Congolese as a tremendously intelligent people beset by grueling poverty, and she wanted to give back to the village where she had lived and worked.

So in February 2013, Cherbuliez launched FUNdamentally Nuts, with the idea that proceeds would help a few Congolese families she knew. She makes the granola right in her home kitchen in Needham, Mass. 鈥� an activity that's in addition to her job at a health-care company.

Cherbuliez's efforts are a reminder that "making a difference" doesn't have to involve helping hundreds of individuals, and it doesn't have to be one's full-time occupation. Much of the time, helping people is on a smaller, more personal scale.

鈥淚鈥檓 a person who stays connected for a very long time,鈥� Cherbuliez says. 鈥淢y link to that village is just part of being of service to people around me.鈥�

Cherbuliez describes her business as offering distinct products and flavor combinations, with a lighthearted side 鈥� examples being strawberry and rhubarb granola and a flavor called Cashew Coconut Crunch. She sells the items at a local farmers market and online, at prices slightly higher than those for the granola products available in grocery stores.

Starting the business required Cherbuliez to make modifications to her kitchen. She had to take a training course on responsible food handling and sanitation, which enabled her to get a ServSafe certificate. She also added an oven to handle the baking load.

鈥淟isa is part and parcel with her ... products,鈥� Sue Ullman, one of Cherbuliez鈥檚 customers, writes in an email. 鈥淗er granola ... is quality you can taste.鈥�

Cherbuliez鈥檚 home is filled with memories of her time in the Peace Corps, an experience she describes as life-changing. Her kitchen holds wooden plates with a traditional pattern carved on the sides, which were purchased from a restaurant where she ate. She also has place mats woven from banana leaves, given to her by a woman who taught her Swahili.

鈥淢emories are triggered by things,鈥� she says. 鈥淭he memories of that time, even though it鈥檚 now 25 years ago, are very much here.鈥�

Cherbuliez began helping two families from the village well before she started FUNdamentally Nuts. For the past quarter century, in fact, she has regularly sent packages to the families of the woman who taught her Swahili and a woman who was her next-door neighbor.

She initially intended for all profits from FUNdamentally Nuts to go directly to Congo, but realized the difficulty of doing that with a home business.

Still, she has maintained a smaller, though no less significant, commitment.

鈥淢y goal is to help them pay for healthcare and student school fees,鈥� Cherbuliez explains in a follow-up email.

The families of the two women have grown since she began helping them. There are now almost nine families, she estimates, with 32 children between them.

But sending packages filled with clothing, bedding, and other supplies comes with its own difficulties.

鈥淥ne of the challenges I have with Congo is there鈥檚 no reliable way to send anything there,鈥� Cherbuliez says in her home kitchen. 鈥淪o [I] always have to find a traveler who鈥檚 willing to hand-carry a package.

鈥淚 just rely on somebody鈥檚 goodwill,鈥� she continues. 鈥淎nd I鈥檝e never been disappointed.... While Congo is in terrible shape in large part due to the not-so-goodness of humanity, there are just so many pockets of light, [and] I鈥檓 glad I鈥檝e found a venue to support [that].鈥�

Cherbuliez says her granola business has also been a way to bring out a personal connection to the food we eat.

鈥淥ur culture, society has moved towards faster food. We鈥檝e lost a little bit of our connection to eating [as] a source of nourishment,鈥� she says. 鈥淎nd so when someone buys it at a farmers market, they鈥檙e buying it from me. If someone orders it on my website, I鈥檓 the one shipping the package, and so there鈥檚 a personal connection.

鈥淚t鈥檚 been a lot of fun,鈥� she says.