In the age of DoorDash and Amazon Prime, it seems almost anything can be delivered. Maik Express underscores that. The Guatemala-based business run by Maik Chavez, 36, specializes in delivering food and other goods from Guatemala to Guatemalans living in the US who are craving a taste of home. The Wall Street Journal recounts details from a recent delivery, one of 38 he made to five US states during 2024: Accompanied by his 13-year-old son, Chavez took a red-eye flight of roughly 1,800 miles from Guatemala City to Washington's Dulles airport, borrowed a relative's Toyota Corolla, and made 44 deliveries over the course of the day. One was an 8.5-pound food order Guatemala native Marciana Cabrera had placed the day prior; she paid just over $100.
Chavez charges a flat $12 a pound, and requires that all food be cooked, packaged in clear plastic boxes, and brought to him from the friend or relative that's sending it. His B1/B2 business visa allows him to come for up to five days at a time (no trip in 2024 lasted longer than 48 hours) and can't make more than $2,000 each visit. The Journal explains he is far from the only viajero, or traveler, making such deliveries to US cities like Houston and Grand Rapids. His older brother makes his own deliveries, and on a recent US flight, the brothers say they recognized at least 10 other viajeros on the plane. (Read the full article for more on his deliveries.)
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