Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in the world, but many of us are unaware of the people who work tirelessly to produce it.
Women, in particular, are often overlooked in the coffee industry, despite playing a crucial role in coffee production. Fortunately, the Cafe Femenino program is changing this narrative by empowering female coffee producers and indeed all women in coffee and ensuring they receive fair compensation for their labour.
CECANOR, or the Northern Peru Coffee Corporation, is one such cooperative that has embraced the Cafe Femenino program. This cooperative is made up of over 1,200 small-scale coffee farmers, with a majority of them being women. For years, these women faced discrimination and unequal pay in the male-dominated coffee industry. However, the Cafe Femenino program has enabled them to take control of their lives and their coffee production.
The Cafe Femenino program was launched in 2004 by women coffee producers in Peru, who recognized the need for a program that would provide support and empowerment to female coffee growers. Since then, the program has expanded to include over 3,000 women coffee producers from nine countries, including Peru, Colombia, Guatemala, Mexico, and more.
The program’s mission is to improve the lives of women coffee producers by promoting gender equality, economic stability, and social justice. The program achieves this by establishing all-women coffee cooperatives, providing leadership training, and ensuring that women receive fair compensation for their coffee production. Additionally, the program provides support for women to take on leadership roles in their communities and the coffee industry.
The impact of the Cafe Femenino program on the lives of women coffee producers is significant. For example, women in the CECANOR cooperative have seen their incomes increase by up to 40% since joining the program. This increase in income has enabled these women to invest in their communities, educate their children, and improve their overall quality of life. Furthermore, the program has empowered women to take on leadership roles in the cooperative and their communities, resulting in positive social change.
In addition to empowering women, the Cafe Femenino program has also had a positive impact on the coffee industry as a whole. By promoting gender equality and fair compensation for all coffee producers, the program has contributed to the development of sustainable coffee production. Additionally, the program has helped to raise awareness about the role of women in coffee production, and has encouraged consumers to support coffee produced by women coffee growers.
The Cafe Femenino program and the women of CECANOR are shining examples of how empowering women can have a positive impact on entire industries and communities. The program’s focus on gender equality and fairness has not only helped the women farming the land, but has produced some of the finest coffees in the world.
You can find out even more by visiting the Cafe Femenino Website HERE
We have been roasting Café Feminino coffee since 2021 and we love it. It’s becoming very popular with our customers, not only because of the message behind the coffee but because it tastes great too.
With tasting notes of Maple Syrup and Milk Chocolate with a citric acidity, we roast this coffee to a medium roast level and it works great as both espresso based coffee’s as well as making a full flavoured drip brew.
We stock it in both whole bean and ground, in 1kg bags and 227g bags, oh and did we mention its Fairtrade and Organic too?
We sell this coffee under our ROOTS Coffee Brand, the whole brand is dedicated to sustainability and equality. Find out more HERE
This coffee is truly worth trying: Support the movement
Whether you are looking for a new 'house' coffee for your cafe or a guest coffee with a sustainable message then this coffee will work for you. We would love to hear from you.
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