But University of Otago student Robbie Francis is heading over this month for just that reason, her third visit this year.
This time will be particularly special as she will be there for the first coffee harvest as part of the Lucy Foundation, the social enterprise she formed in 2014.
Named after the nickname Ms Francis gave her prosthetic leg as a child, the foundation aimed to empower people with disabilities by working with local communities to encourage the employment and education of people with disabilities, and promote disability-inclusive business models.
She established it after witnessing first-hand human rights abuses suffered by people with disabilities in Mexico.
The foundation’s first project was in the heart of Pluma Hidalgo, Oaxaca, which was home to a progeny of an heirloom variety of Typica coffee.
It involved working with a core group of families to increase the quality and yield of their coffee plants and encouraging all family members, including those with disabilities, to contribute to the project.
The coffee would then be exported to New Zealand.
After about three years of planning, research and learning about the various challenges and needs, fundraising was launched which raised about $35,000.
"It’s a proof-of-concept year. We’re really proving we can make it happen before upgrading and expanding the operation to make it more sustainable," Ms Francis said.
The next stage would look at a more sustainable business model, she said.
Last month, volunteers Ryan and Jess Sanders, and their two young children, moved to Pluma Hidalgo and were working with a partner organisation.
They were aiming to improve the health of the coffee plants which was a "huge" aspect of it, she said.
It was also about working on social inclusion of family members with disabilities and ensuring everyone could "find their place" in the coffee industry.
There was a different pace of life to what New Zealanders were used to and it was a "very, very slow" project, she said.
Ms Francis was heading over with her boyfriend next weekend for the first coffee harvest and it was likely the amount produced would be small.
The original estimate was 60kg but she expected it could be under that because there had not been the time to invest in the land.
The main focus was on building trust with families and to show them they could get a higher price for their product if they did "X, Y, Z" to increase the quality and yield.
There was a confirmed buyer for the coffee, Flight Coffee in Wellington, which was "amazing", she said.
The business was committed to roasting, packaging and selling the product regardless of how much was brought over.
It was planned to do the first tasting in Wellington.
For Ms Francis, who is a PhD candidate of the National Peace and Conflict Centre at the University of Otago, it had been a big learning curve.
"I’m a student. I’ve never owned a business before, my family are not business owners. My field . . . at university is peace and conflict studies. I have a passion for disability and human rights," she said.
