Women United for Equity in Coffee
Dozens of Latin American coffee growers and other key players in the sector built hundreds of meaningful connections during the 2023 Women in Coffee Summit.
Sharing in the coffee plantation (2023-11-04) by Hugo Antonio Tress Romero (photographer)Colectivo Rokunin
The vast majority of the global workforce in coffee production are women, yet they earn lower incomes, own less land, have less access to financing, face more difficulties in obtaining inputs, and have fewer opportunities for training and leadership. A change is needed.
What would a more equitable coffee industry look like, and what role can each of us play in achieving this goal?
This question was the centerpiece of the Women in Coffee Summit 2023, organized by Bean Voyage, where dozens of women gathered, mostly small-scale coffee producers from Costa Rica (the host country), Mexico, El Salvador, Honduras, Colombia, and Guatemala, along with high-level authorities, roasters, researchers, baristas, and exporters.
The non-profit organization Bean Voyage has been working since 2018 with small coffee producers in Latin America, with a feminist vision and the goal of helping them thrive through training, financing, mentoring, and access to the international market.
Nearly a thousand women in Costa Rica and Mexico have received some service from their Care Trade program, generating over $600,000 in total income. The Women-Powered Coffee Summit (WPCS) is one of their initiatives.
Connecting experiences (2023-11-02) by Alexa Romano (phographer)Colectivo Rokunin
The International Coffee Organization estimates that closing the gender gap would increase global agricultural production by 2.5% to 4%, equivalent to an additional 30 billion cups of coffee per year. Studies also indicate that it would improve its quality.
Entrepreneurship Training
Giselle Barrera, Iva Alvarado, and Karla Ly Quiñones shared their vision and know-how for entrepreneurship in the coffee sector with open hearts. Barrera began with a detailed strategy for generating successful negotiation plans.
Iva Alvarado spoke about the tremendous power of communicating personal stories as part of the brand image strategy, with a powerful message: "We are the stories we tell ourselves".
Karla Ly Quiñones contributed to this arsenal of inspiration, empowering strategies, and advice by sharing some key insights from her experience in building a remarkable and inspiring career in the coffee industry as a Latina woman, staying true to her values.
Starting to mature (2023-11-04) by Alexa Romano (phographer)Colectivo Rokunin
Climate Challenge
Climate change jeopardizes the livelihoods and incomes of coffee producers as it affects production cycles. For women, accessing technological and ecological innovations is more challenging. That's why this issue was addressed in many conferences.
Resilience in the face of the climate challenge (2023-11-02) by Alexa Romano (phographer)Colectivo Rokunin
Yimara Martínez, an expert from the Coffee Quality Institute, shared feasible tips for post-harvest processing: important tools for producers' resilience in the face of climate and economic challenges.
Concentration (2023-11-02) by Hugo Antonio Tress Romero (photographer)Colectivo Rokunin
During the tasting of the same coffee (producer, farm, and variety) processed in three different ways, attendees experienced firsthand the significant importance of post-harvest processes and the numerous opportunities they entail. Flavors and aromas confirmed Yimara's words.
Colectivo Rokunin present (2023-11-02) by Hugo Antonio Tress Romero (photographer)Colectivo Rokunin
Itzel Mendoza, from Bean Voyage and leader of Colectivo Rokunin, also spoke about the environment. She presented the project Las Flores del Cafetal: An artistic and empowering celebration of the infinite biological and cultural richness of shade-grown coffee cultivated by women.
Boosting energy (2023-11-03) by Lucrecia Villegas (photographer)Colectivo Rokunin
To discuss how to achieve sustainability and equity from the perspective of coffee roasting professionals, Kat Melheim —a roaster, writer, and content creator— conveyed all her energy and vision regarding the specialty coffee journey.
New technologies (2023-11-03) by Hugo Antonio Tress Romero (photographer)Colectivo Rokunin
As the effects of climate change increasingly impact harvests, there is a growing need to generate knowledge to monitor and adapt to them. Yerlin Vargas, from ICAFE in Costa Rica, presented the latest and most effective technologies in response to this significant challenge.
Innovation and drive to seek alternatives that reduce inequalities in the coffee industry were highlighted in the panel discussions and workshop at the Women in Coffee Summit 2023. In these spaces, representatives of the younger generation of coffee producers, roasters striving for fair relationships with producers, and experts seeking to expand coffee valuation possibilities shared their experiences.
Coffee landscapes (2023-11-04) by Hugo Antonio Tress Romero (photographer)Colectivo Rokunin
At the end of the summit, some coffee roasters, researchers, and producers from Mexico and Colombia visited the farms of Rosa Aura Navarro (Amalieth Coffee) and Tatiana Vargas (Legados Cafe) in Costa Rica, women with many successful strategies to share.
Five of the Veracruz producers from the Colectivo Rokunin and Bean Voyage programs traveled to Costa Rica to attend WPCS 2023, sponsored by these two organizations, Grupo Gigante, and Descamex. Damna Reyes, Marisol Ramirez, Elena Acaltecl, Efigenia Pulido, and Elizabeth Cortez; from Córdoba, Chocamán, Zongolica, Ixhuatlán, and Huatusco, experienced a transformative journey of motivation and learning.
Mexican delegation (2023-11-02) by Hugo Antonio Tress Romero (photographer)Colectivo Rokunin
These five women starred in memorable moments, such as the message in the Nahuatl language from Elena Acaltecl, a member of a group trained by Colectivo Rokunin to produce high-quality coffee with funding from The Chain Collaborative.
To learn more about this network working for a more equitable coffee industry and how to be part of it, you can read the information provided by Bean Voyage about all editions of the Women Powered Coffee Summit, including WPCS 2024, which will take place precisely in Córdoba, Veracruz, Mexico.
Colectivo Rokunin 2023
Veracruz, México
Photography: Hugo Antonio Tress Romero, Alexa Romano y Lucrecia Villegas.
Text y edition: Teresa Morte.
Production: Bean Voyage.
Coordination: Itzel Mendoza.
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