Mujeres: Coffee that Inspires Change
As we do every year, we are celebrating International Women’s Day and Women's History Month with our Mujeres roast. With this year’s theme being “Accelerate Action,” we are proud to be a business that supports and uplifts women, especially in an industry that systemically undervalues them. Within the coffee industry, roughly 20-30% of all coffee farms are owned and operated by women, with up to 70% of the labor on the farms being performed by women, yet they earn up to 40% less revenue. As a small woman-owned business, statistics like these are what propel us forward in fighting for a more equitable and fair industry. On our family farms and in our café, we are constantly looking for ways to even the playing field.
In accordance with “Accelerate Action,” we knew that we wanted to create a roast that highlighted the strength and power within women, while also accentuating the feminine side of that power. This year’s Mujeres roast profile is bright-medium with tasting notes of lime, lemongrass, and lavender. The bright and earthy flavor mixed with the floral notes create a symphony of complex and bold flavors. With each sip, we hope that you will take the time to remember the women who made this roast possible.
Women play a vital role in the coffee industry but are far too often not given the recognition they deserve. On our family farms alone, there are women in positions of responsibility for creating the extraordinary coffee you have come to know and love. For example, our Head of Quality Control and Exports, Lourdes, oversees each coffee bean to ensure perfection, and if you know Alma Coffee, you know she’s doing an incredible job. Women like Lourdes are who inspire us to continue to strive for excellence
We are deeply committed to fostering equal opportunities, not just for the women working on our farms but also for young girls seeking education. In partnership with The Matiak Foundation, we proudly built a school on our family farm, Finca Terrerito, ensuring that future generations of women have access to the education they deserve. This initiative has been a passion of ours from the very beginning, and we are incredibly grateful to The Matiak Foundation for helping turn this vision into reality.
To learn more about the school and its impact on the community, visit our blog. Together, we are empowering young women to pursue their dreams.
When evaluating the disparity between women and men’s rights in Honduras, it is important to look at the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index (WEAI). The WEAI was established in 2012 to give insight into the inequalities within the agricultural field globally. As of 2018, the WEAI in Honduras is at 0.75. What does this mean? Well, the WEAI is determined by two different factors – their Five Domains of Empowerment (5DE) and Gender Parity Index (GPI) scores. Honduras’ 5DE index value is 0.74 which essentially means that only 31.5% of women in Honduras have achieved what the WEAI deem to be adequate empowerment. This translates to a staggering 68.5% women having not met the adequate empowerment within the country. Furthermore, the GPI score, determined by gender inequality is sitting at 0.73. Women are 26% less likely than men to have equal opportunities. These two scores combined bring the WEAI to .75 which places Honduras in the low to medium ranking. These statistics show that our work is not yet done.
While we are so proud to be a business that “Accelerates Action” to create an even playing field for women both here at Alma Coffee and on our family farms in Honduras, we know there is more work to be done. Equality and diversity are of utmost importance to us within all sectors of our business and we hope that through our mission, we will inspire more to join us in fighting for gender equality in the coffee industry. This is why we create roasts like Mujeres, that seek to uplift and call attention to women within this industry. To state it plainly: without women, our business would not exist.
This year we have decided to change things up a little. Our 2025 Mujeres roast was sourced from a woman-owned and operated farm in Colombia named La Arboleda. Owner, Mildrey Montoya, is a second-generation producer from the region of Urroa, which is the infamous birthplace of the iconic Caturra Chiroso coffee variety. For all my coffee nerds out there, Caturra Chiroso is a rare and highly sought after coffee variety that is known for having a vibrant flavor profile. We were lucky enough to get our hands on some just for this roast. The Caturra Chiroso beans from La Arboleda perfectly encapsulate the complex and rare beauty that is womanhood. We are so proud to offer a roast that not only portrays this complexity but also support another woman-owned business.
Through sourcing coffee from other farms, we have been able to create a resounding impact that extends far beyond our own business. Our mission is not just to make the coffee industry more equitable simply within Honduras, but rather throughout the world. This is why we set out to always have at least one roast on our menu that we sourced from outside of our family farms. Through bolstering other farmers working towards the same goals, we can band together in the fight towards a more equitable future.
From all the women at Alma Coffee, thank you! Thank you for helping us create an environment that values and uplifts women both here in Holly Springs, GA all the way to Copán, Honduras! Thank you for empowering us to empower others! Your support inspires a future that excites us.
