Café Femenino is a sustainable coffee program, operating in the countries of Peru, Rwanda, Guatemala, Colombia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Bolivia, and the Dominican Republic, that promises $.02/lb premium above the fair trade premium to be paid directly to the women who grow the coffee. To be a Café Femenino coffee producer, the coffee must be produced separately from the men’s production. A portion of t
he coffee farm must be designated for the women, her name must be added to the title of the land (a first!) and she must be the one who receives the premium. It is well known that the women who grow coffee on small parcels of land, 5 hectares or less, comprise the poorest and most marginalized on the planet. Abuse rates hover around 69% due to poverty, geographic isolation, and machismo culture. The men control the finances and many times are not managing it with the focus on the family. We have found that when women are given the control of the finances, they with invariably make financial choice that focus on their children and their community. The story of Café Femenino began in 2004 when women farmers from northern Peru began talking with their cooperative leaders about their desire to separate their coffee from the men’s. These female members of CECANOR felt they put more care into their production, creating a superior product and wanted to know if there might be a market for women’s coffee. CECANOR, having already established a partnership with OPTCO over the previous 10 years, collaborated with us to see how we might organize a women’s only coffee for the international marketplace.
