I had the privilege of filling in for Bo at this year’s Forbes Small Giants Summit in Lima, Peru. As it turns out, Forbes still holds Small Giant’s events in many countries, including Peru, Mexico, Japan, Italy and more in Africa. It’s fantastic to see how Bo’s work and the influence of this community have rippled around the globe.

The event was a huge success and given the feedback, I think I made Bo proud. It was encouraging to see so many women entrepreneurs in attendance; from the stage it looked like they were 60% of attendees. In Peru, as with so many countries, women are challenged with limited access to finance, a heavy burden of care responsibilities, and the prevalence of patriarchal structures.

One of the highlights of this trip was meeting Harrison “Harry” Neira — the founder and owner of Neira Café Lab, a growing chain of seven coffee shops across Lima, with an eighth opening soon. What started as a breakfast conversation turned into one of the most inspiring, purpose-filled experiences I had on this trip.

A Heritage Rooted in the Soil

Over breakfast, Harrison shared the story behind his love for coffee. It began with his grandmother — a subsistence farmer with a small piece of land where she grew coffee, fruit, and vegetables. She used what she needed for the family and sold the rest to her local community. His father raised cattle, made cheese, and continued the tradition of using the land with care.

As a child, Harry helped his grandmother dry freshly picked coffee cherries outside her home. He remembers grinding the beans using the traditional two-stone method — a slow, intentional ritual that shaped both his palate and his entrepreneurial spirit. Those early moments would eventually inspire his purpose: to bring Peruvian coffee to the world.

Walking Into a Space With ‘Mojo’

Later that day, I visited Neira’s flagship store. Harry was in the back teaching a group of MBA students about entrepreneurship and coffee. That alone told me everything about who he is — a business owner committed not just to selling coffee, but to shaping future leaders.

Andrea — whom I had met at the summit — greeted me with a smile and a warm hug.
“Let me take you on a coffee adventure,” she said.

And she meant it.

The Coffee ‘Shock’ Experience

The first surprise?
The coffee was served in a cold cup.

Andrea explained the reaction that happens when the hot coffee meets the ice-cold ceramic; how that shock releases certain flavors and aromas, transforming the taste profile. I had never experienced coffee like this. It was exceptional.

A Store Built Around Purpose

As Harry guided me through the space, he explained the meaning behind every design choice:

• The Wall of Diversity
  On the right wall: rows and rows of coffees sourced exclusively from Peruvian farmers across the country’s three regions. Each farm, each grower, each story represented. This is Peru in its full diversity.
  
  
• The Wall of Transitions
  On the left: a beautiful gradient of colors representing the roasting process. A visual journey through time, heat, transformation: the alchemy of coffee.
  
  
• The Orange Roof and Accents
  The warm orange tones throughout the shop symbolise the fire his mother roasted coffee over. It’s a tribute to family, tradition, and the roots of his story.

Everything in the space tells a story. Everything means something. Nothing is accidental.

Where Purpose Meets Community

What struck me most wasn’t just the craftsmanship, the storytelling, or even the fantastic taste of the coffee itself. It was the community.

Regulars came and went with easy familiarity. One fellow, a Star Wars superfan, even has a roast named after him: The Dark Side.

People don’t just come here for coffee.
They come for connection.
They come for belonging.
They come because they are known.

In turn, the store shapes the community too; from local regulars to MBA students learning about purpose-driven entrepreneurship. It’s a cycle of humanity and goodness that I was delighted to be a part of, even if just for a short time.

It is a true Small Giants business — choosing to be great rather than big.

A Parting Gift: Carrying the Purpose Forward

As I prepared to leave, Harry, Andrea, and the team handed me two boxes:

Nine bags of coffee and a beautiful ceramic cup.

It wasn’t just a thank-you.

It was an invitation.

Harry’s parting words were simple and full of meaning:

“Share Peruvian coffee with the people you meet. Take it with you. Let others taste our story.”

It struck me as the perfect expression of his purpose — bringing Peruvian coffee to the world, one person, one cup, one conversation at a time.

And now, as I travel, I’ll carry a bag of Neira coffee with me, sharing a taste of Peru with people along the way, extending the legacy of his grandmother’s farm, his mother’s fire, and his own vision.

Yes, I do carry an Aeropress and coffee grinder on my travels, although that grinder once got me in trouble with the UK authorities who mistook it for a detonator at Gatwick airport - but that’s a whole other story. 

A True Small Giants Business

The values of Harry and his grandmother before him run through every part of his business:

• Care for people
• Respect for the land
• Generosity
• Craftsmanship
• Community

This is what we call mojo in Small Giants — the soul of a business that chooses to be great instead of big.

And you can feel it the moment you walk in.

RIP & Deploy: Put Your People on the Label

One of the most meaningful practices I saw at Neira was how they honour the people in their ecosystem – not with posters or slogans, but right on the product itself. Several of their coffee bags are named after their farmers, suppliers, or regular customers. When you pick up a bag of Michael Cajas coffee, you’re not just holding a roast. You’re holding Michael’s story, Michael’s farm, Michael’s hands in the soil.

It’s a simple gesture with an enormous impact:

It turns customers into ambassadors.

It turns suppliers into heroes.

It turns products into relationships.

RIP & Deploy:

Find one product, service line, or touchpoint in your business where you can feature the people behind the work: customers, team members, partners, or makers. Put their names and stories front and center. Let your community see who they’re really supporting.

My visit to Neira Café Lab was far more than a tour of a coffee shop. It was a reminder that purpose is most powerful when it’s lived, not stated — when it shows up in the walls, in the rituals, in the relationships, and in the way a business honours the people who make it possible. 

Harry’’s story, rooted in the hands of his grandmother and shaped by the farmers, team members, and community around him, is a testament to what happens when a company chooses to be great instead of big. I left with two boxes of coffee, a beautiful cup, and a simple invitation: share this with others. 

And perhaps that’s the real lesson: 

When you lead with purpose, you don’t just build a business; you create something worth passing on.

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