Keith White and Rosa White

Keith (K) tells Rosa (R) about their family's history of farming. K says their great-great-great grandfather, who was the first generation after slavery, was a sharecropper in rural Georgia. K says their great-grandfather later moved to Georgia, where he bought a 400-acre farm. K and R share that their dad worked on the farm and that they were raised on the farm.

R says that while growing up, they often wanted to be somewhere else when they were on the farm, but now it is a special place to them.

K explains that his grandfather was a part of the Pigford v. Glickman lawsuit.

R shares some of her favorite memories of being on her family farm. R talks about the difference between the countryside in the south versus the countryside in New Mexico.

K and R discuss their dad's work with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service. They talk about relocating to Los Lunas, New Mexico, and the culture shock they experienced after the move.

K says that in New Mexico, he moved away from agriculture because he was not enmeshed in it like he was in Georgia.

R says that living in New Mexico has presented difficulties for her. She says that being in New Mexico, though difficult, has also spurred her to learn a lot about herself as an African-American woman and mother.

K says he attended the University of New Mexico, where he met numerous people from other countries. He recalls receiving a message from an old classmate and traveling to Equatorial Guinea to help that classmate launch a business. K says the experienced compelled him to do more work in the agricultural space.

K says he hopes he will be able to help countries in Africa further diversify through agriculture. K and R say they want their children and family to build a deeper connection to Africa and agriculture in Africa.

K speaks further about Paraiso Roasting and how he uses coffee and cacao to improve living standards for farmers in central African communities. R says she has enjoyed being the president of the company because it has exposed her to other people she would not have connected with otherwise.