[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Intro” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n
Coffee farming is often thought of as \u201cman\u2019s work,\u201d no doubt in some part because it immediately brings to mind a vision of a Juan Vald\u00e9z\u2013esque cafetero<\/em> and his donkey carrying cherry down the side of a mountain. True, farming in general is often thought to be difficult, sometimes dangerous work that demands tremendous strength and endurance\u2014but then again, all of those words also describe motherhood, so maybe it\u2019s time we reconsider our ideas about gender and coffee farming.<\/p>\n Six years ago, Cafe Imports bought its first lot of coffee produced by women, which inspired the creation of a Women Coffee Producers<\/a> program to raise awareness of gender inequity and inequality issues in coffee-producing countries, and to financially empower women growers through our sourcing and sales efforts. For this project, we source coffees directly from women in associations and cooperatives, paying them a gender-equity premium on top of the quality-based initial price of their coffee.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/FAC8721.jpg” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Small steps” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n We realize gender inequity exists in most\u2014probably all\u2014industries worldwide, but our interests and business are with coffee, and as we\u2019ve become increasingly aware of the disparities along the supply chain, we\u2019ve become more and more committed to contributing to positive change wherever and however we can. By sourcing coffees grown by women producers in this way, we seek to financially empower them within their families, communities, and within the industry, we hope to make positive strides toward increasing women\u2019s visibility within the supply chain, as well as to assist in protecting the sustainability of their very necessary contributions.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”Small steps 2″ _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u201cThis isn\u2019t a major change in our sourcing operations, but more of an evolving style of the work we do in trying to find better coffee and support the producers we work with,\u201d says Cafe Imports’\u00a0Andrew Miller<\/a>, and these efforts inevitably result in in \u201cbetter coffee, more traceability, and the ability to support a segment of our society that has been disenfranchised forever in the industry we work in.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Reason and response” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Reports have claimed that as much as 70 percent of labor on coffee farms\u2014planting, picking, processing, sorting\u2014is done by women, though women\u2019s legal representation as land owners and association members is distinctly lower, in most places it tops out at 20 percent, though in other countries it can be as little as 5 percent.<\/strong> (In many countries, even in 2018, land ownership is not transferred to a wife after her husband dies, emigrates, or simply leaves home; same with on-paper membership in cooperatives, which is often registered in the husband\u2019s name and frequently remains nontransferable).<\/p>\n Over the past several years, we have seen increased interest in the program from origin, with mixed-membership cooperatives asking how their women producer members can establish their own products through lot separation, and we\u2019ve also encountered more and more women-only groups whose visions are a perfect match for the WCP line. \u201cAll over the world, I\u2019ve seen many companies promoting women\u2019s projects,\u201d says green-coffee buyer Luis Arocha<\/a>. \u201cAt the origin level, people are curious to how they can be a part of it. There\u2019s a lot of willingness to support projects like this.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/DSC05007.jpg” align=”center” max_width=”82%” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Resource AMACA ASMUCAFE” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Roasters are also supportive of and excited about the program, and this year Cafe Imports hosted a Resource: Sourcing<\/a> trip, hosting several women roasters on a visit to two groups from whom we buy WCP lots in Cauca, Colombia: ASMUCAFE and AMACA.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/FAC8428.jpg” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Resource AMACA ASMUCAFE Roasters” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n \u201cThese two groups, AMACA and ASMUCAFE, are pretty interesting to get to know because of the level of camaraderie they have among them. It\u2019s amazing. You can see that they are really working for the same goal, which is to improve the livelihood of their members,\u201d Luis says. \u201cIt was nice to see the women in both groups see the roaster women who were present: They felt that they were not alone, that there are other women doing what they do, in other parts of the supply chain. It is a really nice project to be involved with.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Resource AMACA ASMUCAFE Kimiyo” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Cafe Imports sales representative Kimiyo Heider<\/a> cohosted the visit to Cauca with Luis and was moved to see the impact of the women growers meeting women roasters for the first time. \u201cThere was an older woman in AMACA who stood up and said, \u2018This is incredible. I never in my lifetime thought I would be surrounded by the women I work with and the women who buy my coffee\u2014roasters and caf\u00e9 owners,\u2019\u201d Kimiyo said.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/FAC8579-2.jpg” align=”center” max_width=”59%” \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”More to come” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Senior green-coffee buyer Piero Cristiani<\/a>, who established the Women Coffee Producers program after meeting with the CODECH group in Guatemala, says that he is seeing more and more interest in this kind of gender-equity work from all sides. \u201cDefinitely from the producer side I\u2019ve seen more of a want or a desire to do more of this type of work,\u201d he says. \u201cThey like the premium, and they like being able to show their members these good things they are doing.\u201d<\/p>\n As Piero and Luis continue to look for new producing partners and new sources of coffee, we hope to continue to expand this project to include other origins, other types of farmers (including possibly individual smallholders who are rewarded for high quality with microlot status), and more and more offerings from the intrepid and invested coffee women working so ceaselessly and hard around the world.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=”Call to action” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n In brief, here is more information about the Women Coffee Producers with whom we are currently partnered\u2014and we can\u2019t wait to add even more innovative and dedicated women to this list. For more information about the Women Coffee Producers program and current offerings, visit www.cafeimports.com\/womencoffeeproducers<\/a>, or e-mail sales@cafeimports.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Colombia” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n COLOMBIA<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/FAC8746-2.jpg” align=”center” url=”\/north-america\/blog\/wcp-amaca\/” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”AMACA” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Asociaci\u00f3n de Mujeres Productoras Agropecurarias del Cauca (AMACA<\/strong>) is a group of women coffee producers in El Tambo, Cauca. The association was formed in 1999 by 80 women; today it has close to 140 members. The women of AMACA are currently \u201cworking on a project to become producers of their own food,\u201d Luis reports from his recent visit. \u201cThey want to plant fruit trees and also to have chickens, to be self-sufficient, and they know that through coffee they can achieve that.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/FAC8496.jpg” align=”center” max_width=”82%” url=”\/north-america\/blog\/wcp-asmucafe\/” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”ASMUCAFE” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Asociaci\u00f3n de Mujeres Agropecurarias de Uribe (ASMUCAFE<\/strong>) is an organization of women growers in El Tambo, Cauca, whose mission is to improve their members\u2019 way of life and to contribute positively to the greater community through collaboration and sharing resources and knowledge. \u201cTheir quality is good; they\u2019re focused on quality and want to improve,\u201d Luis says. \u201cThey know that when quality goes up, they get even better premiums.\u201d<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Guatemala” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n GUATEMALA<\/u><\/b><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Huehuetenango.jpg” align=”center” url=”\/north-america\/womencoffeeproducers” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”ASPROCDEGUA” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n ASPROCDEGUA<\/strong> (Asociaci\u00f3n de Productores de Caf\u00e9 Diferenciados y Especiales de Guatemala) is a relatively new organization of growers, most of whom own about 2 hectares of land or less and grow a variety of crops in addition to coffee. The women of the organization have just produced their first WCP lot during the 2018 harvest and will decide how best to apply the premium they receive for the coffee.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/13524-11713-dsc0628-4.jpg” align=”center” url=”\/north-america\/blog\/wcp-codech\/” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”CODECH” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n In the community of Concepci\u00f3n Huista, Huehuetenango, a group called Coordinadora de Organizaciones de Desarrollo de Concepci\u00f3n Huista, or CODECH<\/strong>, was among the first to grab our attention as a possible partner in the early stages of the Women Coffee Producers project. The organization was formed in 1998 and comprises 10 different member associations, the women of whom use the premium for their participating lots in order to pay for health-care programs and workshops specifically targeting the area\u2019s high infant-mortality rate.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Mexico” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n MEXICO<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/grapos3.jpg” align=”center” max_width=”75%” url=”\/north-america\/blog\/wcp-grapos\/” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”GRAPOS” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n GRAPOS<\/strong> (Grupo de Asesores de Producci\u00f3n Org\u00e1nica y Sustentable) in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas was formed in 2007 by a group of only 90 farmers, but today it has more than 3,200 producers affiliated\u2014including a growing percentage of women. The women of the co-op who participate in the WCP program with Cafe Imports have used the premium they earn for their coffees in efforts to diversify their crops, planting corn, bananas, squash, cacao and more. They have also invested in textile production in order to have earned income all year round.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Cesmatch.jpg” align=”center” url=”\/north-america\/blog\/wcp-cesmach\/” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”CESMATCH” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n In 2005, six women members of the CESMACH<\/strong> cooperative banded together in an effort to earn recognition within the organization, which only allowed men to hold the title of \u201cmember\u201d on paper, even after having emigrated in search of work and leaving their wives behind to tend to the farm. Within a year, 23 women began the process of transferring their membership and land ownership into their name; today there are more than 200 women members, and they use their WCP premium for initiatives like cervical-cancer screening and prevention, and building vegetable gardens for the women and their families.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Indonesia” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n INDONESIA<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Ipak_Bensu-4.jpg” align=”center” max_width=”75%” url=”\/north-america\/blog\/wcp-kopepi-ketiara-cooperative-ipak-bensu\/” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”IPAK BENSU” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Ipak Bensu is the women\u2019s group from within the Sumatran co-op of Kopepi Ketiara<\/strong>, located in the Gayo Highlands, where the average farmer owns about 1.2 hectares of land and grows a variety of different crops under a cover of shade. Ipak Bensu uses its WCP premium in order to reinvest in their farms for the future, as well as to make strides toward greater access to health care and education for their families.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Item-Reje-Gayo-WOMEN-LOT-2.jpeg” align=”center” max_width=”80%” url=”\/north-america\/blog\/wcp-ksu-item-reje-gayo\/” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”KSU Item Reje Gayo” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n About 300 women coffee producers are members of KSU Item Reje Gayo<\/strong> in Central Aceh, Sumatra, most of whom grow coffee on garden-size plots alongside fruit, cinnamon, avocado, bananas and more. The premium for Reje Gayo\u2019s Women Coffee Producer lots goes toward farm reinvestment such as buying organic fertilizers, shade trees, coffee seeds, and training programs for the women.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Honduras” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n HONDURAS<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][et_pb_image _builder_version=”3.7″ src=”\/\/cdn.cafeimports.com\/images\/Raos.jpg” align=”center” max_width=”80%” url=”\/north-america\/blog\/wcp-cooperativa-raos\/” \/][et_pb_text admin_label=”RAOS” _builder_version=”3.7″ text_orientation=”justified”]<\/p>\n Cooperativa RAOS<\/strong> is a cooperative of nearly 300 farmers, 77 of whom are women whose lots are separated into a Women Coffee Producers offering. RAOS\u2019s leadership is determined to increase gender equity among its members, specifically regarding legal complications related to gender-based restrictions on land ownership in Honduras. The organization holds regular gender assemblies to give air to and find solutions for gender inequity its members face.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_cta url_new_window=”on” button_text=”North American Offerings” use_background_color=”off” background_color=”#7bb262″ use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” custom_button=”on” button_url=”https:dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/offerings#\/program=Women%20Coffee%20Producers\/” header_font=”Changa One||||” button_text_color_hover=”#ffffff” button_text_color=”#000000″ button_border_color=”#000000″ button_bg_color_hover=”#911814″ button_border_color_hover=”#911814″ _builder_version=”3.7″ \/][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For the past few years, we have been growing a Women Coffee Producers program, sourcing coffees grown by women-run associations or by the women members of mixed-gender co-ops. We pay a gender-equity premium for these lots in order to support projects or initiatives of the women producers’ choosing. This year, we also hosted a Resource trip to visit two women’s associations, bringing along a group of women roasters who buy their coffees through this program. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":302,"featured_media":36501,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,8,14,245],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35432","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-colombia","category-guatemala","category-mexico","category-sumatra"],"site_id":"1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/302"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36501"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dev.cafeimports.com\/north-america\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}