For Guatemalans, a Taste of Home Is Worth Flying Ants to Atlanta
Tiny storefronts gather packages of cheese, clothing, and even roasted bugs for émigrés in the US.
Illustration: Doris Liou for Bloomberg Businessweek
For most Americans, meal delivery means calling the local pizza parlor or tapping apps such as Grubhub and Uber Eats. But Guatemalans living in the US increasingly rely on little-known companies with names like Mayan Express, Tikal Express, and King Quiché Cargo. They’re slower—the arrival time is measured in days rather than minutes—but the cooking is done back home, usually by mom or grandma.
“They’re willing to pay for that authentic taste,” says Héctor Orozco, a driver in Delaware for Palex Express, which collects packages from 100 storefronts in Guatemala for delivery to dozens of US cities.