A Special Delivery: Guatemalan Food Flies Across Borders

This: you're sitting in the US, missing the tastes of your home country, Guatemala. Enter Maik Chavez, a 36-year-old entrepreneur from Guatemala City. He runs Maik Express, a unique business that bridges the gap between homesick expats and their favorite Guatemalan food. In 2024, he made 38 trips to five US states, delivering treats like Marciana Cabrera's 8. 5-pound food order. For just over $100, she received her home-cooked meal, packed in clear plastic boxes just as Chavez requires.Chavez’s deliveries aren’t your average pizza slice. He flies thousands of miles, all for that special taste of home. On one such trip, he took a red-eye flight from Guatemala City to Washington’s Dulles airport, borrowed a relative's Toyota Corolla, and made 44 deliveries in a day. His cost? A flat $12 a pound, and the trips have to be quick – no more than 48 hours due to his B1/B2 business visa limitations, which also cap his earnings at $2, 000 per visit. But Chavez isn’t alone in this venture. His older brother also makes these special deliveries, and they’ve spotted at least 10 other travelers, or viajeros, doing the same on flights. It’s not just about the food; it’s about the connection to home that these deliveries bring.