Earlier this month I had the opportunity to spend a week in Peru with Café Femenino. Café Femenino is built on the belief that stronger, more equitable coffee communities benefit everyone. In addition to expanding opportunities for women producers, it helps fund grants for schools, healthcare, infrastructure, and other community projects identified by local leaders. It was incredibly meaningful to finally visit the farms, schools, and communities that Roastiva and our customers have helped support since we first opened our doors. Here are a few moments from the trip that I thought you might enjoy.
One Coffee, Many Hands
At Sabina's farm we had farmers, exporters, importers, roasters, and café owners all standing together. Most of us only ever see one part of the coffee supply chain. Every person in that photo plays a different role, and each one depends on the others. It takes hundreds of people, each doing their part well, to turn coffee growing on a mountainside in Peru into the mug of coffee waiting for us each morning.
Planning the Year Ahead
We attended the annual Café Femenino meeting where representatives from each community reviewed the previous year's projects and decided what to prioritize next. The discussion moved between coffee production, infrastructure, education, and community needs. It was interesting to watch those decisions come directly from the communities themselves.
Processing facility
Coffee cupping
From Origin to Export
Across Peru, more than 800 farmers deliver their coffee to 14 collection facilities, known as acopios. Those coffees are then consolidated into three regional groupings before arriving at a single central processing facility for the final stages of processing before export.
One of the highlights of the trip was joining the exporters for a coffee cupping. We tasted coffees from each region, discussed their unique characteristics, and shared feedback as they refined the final Café Femenino Peru blend. Afterward, we toured the central processing facility to see where that coffee is prepared before beginning its journey around the world.
Harvesting coffee cherries
Walking the coffee farms
Learning Directly from Farmers
Some of my favorite moments were the simplest ones: walking through the farms, talking with the farmers, and harvesting coffee alongside them. It's one thing to read about coffee cultivation, but it's something entirely different to see it firsthand.
We learned how they identify ripe cherries, why the same tree is picked multiple times throughout the harvest, and how small decisions on the farm influence the quality of the coffee we roast months later.
Investing Beyond the Coffee Farm
We visited two of the many schools that Café Femenino supports in coffee growing communities throughout Peru. Along with delivering school supplies, we had the opportunity to spend time with the students, teachers, and families these programs are designed to serve.
One thing I learned was that the support extends well beyond the classroom. Café Femenino helps provide school supplies, supports school gardens that grow fresh produce for student lunches, funds regular nurse visits, and offers workshops on nutrition and dental hygiene for children and their families.
The schools we visited were just two examples of the long term community development projects made possible through Café Femenino. Seeing them firsthand gave me a much better understanding of how those investments continue long after the coffee has been harvested.
I came home with a greater appreciation for how much care goes into coffee long before it reaches our roaster. Thank you for supporting Roastiva and making it possible for us to keep learning directly from the people behind every bean.
Thank you, Josiah
Discover more from Roastiva
Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.
