Cafe Femenino
Women farmers have always been essential to the coffee industry, but they haven’t always received financial control or decision-making power. In 2004, a group of 464 women farmers in northern Peru decided to change this dynamic by separating their coffee production from men’s. Their coffee cooperative CECANOR joined their commercial partner Organic Products Trading Company (OPTCO) to create Café Femenino—a program dedicated to supporting social justice and empowerment for women coffee producers worldwide.The Café Femenino program has since partnered with women coffee farmers in remote, poverty-stricken regions across the world to provide them with fair pay, better opportunities and a stronger voice within their communities. Café Femenino has grown steadily over the years—spreading out from Peru to include women coffee farmers in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Mexico, Nicaragua, Rwanda and Sumatra.
How it Works and Why it's Important
Roastiva's Additional Support
To further support women coffee farmers and their communities, Roastiva donates a percentage of every coffee purchase directly to the Café Femenino Foundation, an independent nonprofit organization that funds community betterment grant requests proposed and managed by the women farmers. These projects are essential to the growth and well-being of the local communities. Projects include health care, nutrition, sanitation, water, and food security.
Quote From One of Our Farmers
“When women receive their Café Femenino premium, initially men would stare in disbelief because they’re getting more money, but slowly they’re getting used to it and understanding what Café Femenino is,” says Luisa Marroquin Guarchaj, former coordinator of the Guatemala Café Femenino Women’s Group in the Nahuala Cooperative. “It’s important for consumers to know the support that Café Femenino provides and know that their money goes directly to the producers and their families.”