Alumnus expands his award-winning coffee business

Born and raised in an agricultural environment, Jorge Raul Rivera, an alumnus of the College of Agriculture who got his master’s degree in agricultural economics in 2007, knew early on that his passion was agriculture. A native of El Salvador, Rivera used his experiences and knowledge gained at Zamorano University in Honduras and LSU to expand his father’s once small-town business, Rivera Coffee, into an internationally recognized coffee brand.

His emphasis in graduate school was econometrics and finance, and he credits his teacher, Hector Zapata, now LSU associate vice provost, with giving him “the edge I needed to support my family’s business and compete in a fluctuating market.”

While at LSU, Rivera was a member of the Zamorano Agricultural Society, a group of Zamorano University alumni, all continuing their education at LSU. Rivera was named the society’s president in 2007.

“I valued the chance to strengthen relationships with my peers at LSU while establishing leadership skills,” Rivera said. “The Zamorano Agricultural Society influenced me to form connections and provided me with professional development while pursuing an education.”

After he graduated, he went to El Salvador to work on projects at GE Capital and AIG. He then gained ownership of his fathers’ company, bringing with him experience from GE and AIG.

“Although I had multiple career opportunities, I decided to come back home because I didn’t want to leave an abandoned dream behind. I was focused on enriching my father’s business and earning the reputation as the best coffee in South America,” he said.

As Rivera Coffee expanded, Rivera began travelling the world to market his family business. Under his leadership the company has won the Cup of Excellence three times.

“Winning the Cup of Excellence three times consecutively is one of my proudest achievements. We also hold the record for the most expensive pound of coffee sold at $95.75 per pound,” Rivera said. “These accomplishments are the accumulation of my experiences at LSU and the motivation my father left me to take the company to the next level. My plan is to keep breaking the world record and winning multiple awards with my ambition to go further while remaining true to my roots here in El Salvador.” Brianna Cobb

LSU team wins academic quiz bowl

An LSU College of Agriculture team placed first in the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association academic quiz bowl. The competition took place July 22 during the association’s meeting in Atlanta. The college sent two teams of three that included agricultural business students, left to right: Alexander Hildreth, Kaylee Boswell, Whitney McKinzie, Brianna Cobb, Erynn Heffley and Colt Hardee. Jarrod Penn, at right, assistant professor, was the teams’ faculty advisor. The team consisting of McKinzie, Heffley and Hardee finished first. Hildreth also placed first in paper competition. Tobie Blanchard

Alumnus creates scholarship to honor his late sister

J. Wheeler Parker III is honoring his late sister with a scholarship in the LSU College of Agriculture. The Kimberly Parker Wolverton Endowed Scholarship honors the memory of Wolverton, who died in a car wreck in May 1999 at the age of 34.

“She loved LSU, and I loved her,” Parker said. Both attended LSU.

Parker graduated from LSU with a degree in agricultural business in 1982. His sister majored in journalism, receiving her degree in 1986. Their father, who died in 2011, graduated from LSU in forestry.

Parker said the scholarship means a lot to his mother but would have embarrassed his sister, whom he described as never needing recognition. Their mother, Katherine “Kit” Parker, described her daughter as having a big personality. “Everyone loved her and flocked to her,” she said.

Parker, a wealth management adviser for Merrill Lynch, lives in Ridgeland, Mississippi. His three children all attended LSU as out-of-state students, as did he and his sister. They grew up in Natchez. The scholarship will benefit out-of-state students in the College of Agriculture.

“I hope it can help attract out-of-state students and offer financial incentive for them to come to LSU,” he said. Tobie Blanchard

More than 400 students expected in fall

The LSU College of Agriculture is anticipating a bump in its student population as it welcomes one of the largest freshmen classes in years. More than 400 first-year students are expected to join the college for the Fall 2019 semester. The last time the freshmen class approached 400 was in 2012. Animal sciences continues to be the major that attracts the most students. See what students studied in 2018:

Animal Sciences – 468

Natural Resources Ecology and Management – 289

Nutrition and Food Sciences – 217

Textiles, Apparel and Merchandising – 176

Agricultural Business – 100

Plant and Soil Systems – 63

Agriculture and Extension Education – 34

Youth learn nutrition, cooking skills

On Wednesday afternoons during the summer, Judy Myhand, professor in the School of Nutrition and Food Sciences, and her team of LSU students face teens armed with knives encountering only the dangers of a freshly peeled onion.

Myhand and her team teach cooking skills, including proper chopping techniques, to Baton Rouge youth in cooperation with the LSU Dining Halls’ Teaching Kitchen program. The six-week program is designed to promote healthy meal planning to children and families with limited resources.

“We’re here today to show these campers how to correctly handle cookware, julienne vegetables and the proper techniques for peeling produce,” Myhand said. “The first step in creating a healthy meal is focusing on preparation.”

Myhand works with chefs from LSU Dining to help in the demonstrations. The teens were able to try out their new skills on pineapples, carrots, bell peppers and squash. For some teens this was their first time cutting raw vegetables and several shed a few tears while chopping onions.

Myhand does similar work with other groups. In 2017, she started Ingredients for Hope, a teaching kitchen associated with the Baton Rouge mayor’s Healthy BR initiative and Geaux Get Healthy. Leading the nutrition segment, Myhand teaches individuals and families how to plan meals and prepare wholesome dishes. At the end of each class, students take the ingredients home with them to prepare the same dishes for their families.

“We wanted to provide a more personal approach to communities that may lack accessibility to certain fruits and vegetables,” Myhand said.

As part of Geaux Get Healthy, Myhand hopes to get campers at the summer program with the BRidge Agency at Winbourne Elementary to eat more okra. The campers will plant okra under the direction of Mitchell Provensal with Baton Roots, another part of the Mayor’s Healthy BR Initiative, and learn to cook okra in a variety of ways.

Myhand is also involved with the LSU AgCenter Harvest of the Month program, where she works with LSU dietetic students to create recipes using Louisiana-grown produce for use in the schools and by families.

“The Louisiana Harvest of the Month creates a link between Louisiana farmers and area schools to increase farm to school programming through activities like school gardening, educational curriculum and food procurement,” she said. Brianna Cobb