Hi! I’m Francesca Dell’Accio, and this past month I had the opportunity, through the FoodBack project, to take part in a job shadowing experience. I chose the cooperative El Puchero de Villasur in Villasur de Herreros, Spain (Burgos). Why? For many reasons!
They are a cooperative run by three amazing people: Roman, Isabel, and Victor. Their warm, family-like attitude and incredible 
knowledge—mostly gained through direct experience—inspired me and convinced me that I could learn a lot from them. And that’s exactly what happened!
From day one, I began to understand the importance of planning: both in terms of the weekly schedule and the coordination between team members and their duties.
Daily hands-on work allowed me to gain practical skills and provided a precious opportunity to share knowledge and experiences within the team.
I especially enjoyed the weekly planning of the vegetable boxes and their distribution. Isabel usually takes care of this task, and she showed me how it works, even taking me along during the deliveries to demonstrate how they manage relationships with customers. It was both interesting and inspiring, as it requires great flexibility along with clear boundaries to meet everyone’s needs without compromising the business itself.
I also experienced firsthand how challenging it can be to manage a project that has the ambitious goal of maintaining sustainable production while caring for the environment—as they do through agroforestry work—and at the same time, raising awareness and offering educational opportunities.
Despite the differences between my own business context and theirs, I found many similarities. It was inspiring and encouraging—proof that it’s possible!
I also had the chance to bring in another passion of mine: cooking. I experienced, for the first time, what it’s like to cook for more than 30 people during some events! It was exciting—another amazing experience that I will definitely take into consideration for my own project.
Overall, I had a truly amazing and productive month, full of new experiences. I came back home feeling re-energized and inspired, ready to lay the “first bricks” in building my own project idea.
I’m endlessly grateful to my coordinating association, Brújula Intercultural, to El Puchero, and to all my teammates who made this such a meaningful and productive time—as well as to everyone I had the chance to meet and spend time with.
Hasta luego!
